The untested Ebola drug known as ZMapp has arrived in Liberia. However, only 10-12 doses were brought over. In addition, the developers disclosed that no information about side effects is known, due to it being formulated in a short period of time. Thus, administering it to the selected patients would be a gamble. With so few doses available to them, Liberian health authorities must decide of the 1,848 known Ebola patients is to be treated with it.
Liberia Minister of Foreign Affairs Augustine Ngafuan, carried the box of ZMapp himself. The package was delivered via commercial flight from the United States to Monrovia. Upon arrival, the box was unloaded through a VIP terminal.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the current Ebola outbreak is the worst history, claiming 1,975 lives, mostly from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has perplexed the country's health system and also brought an international fear of the virus. Ethical concerns over the development and testing of the drug have also surfaced.
Charity group Doctors Without Borders was entrusted with the ZMapp. The group runs most of the Ebola treatment facilities in the country. The group admitted that choosing who to treat will be very hard for them, but they might prioritize the aid workers.
"The criteria of selection is difficult, but it is going to be done," Dr. Moses Massaquoi told Daily Mail. Dr. Massaquoi assisted the government of Liberia in requesting the drug from Mapp Biopharmaceutical.
'We are going to look at how critical people are. We are definitely going to be focusing on medical staff," he added.
According to The Guardian, the same drug was administered to the American aid workers, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who both showed signs of improvement, although it is not certain if it was actually the drug that caused their improvement.
