Jamaica's Ebola Risk - How a ZMapp cured Americans of Ebola as Jamaica can become Guinea Pig to Test an Ebola Cure

Interestingly, at this Press Conference held on Thursday August 7^th 2014 by the Ministry of Health and chaired by the Minister of Health Dr. Fenton Ferguson, made a passing reference was about the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa as reported in the article “Health ministry advise against non-essential travel to Ebola affected countries” Published Friday August 8, 2014 3:35 pm, The Jamaica Gleaner.

This I’ve confirmed from the horse’s mouth the Jamaica Information Service in the article “Jamaica Not in High Risk Category for Ebola”, published August 7, 2014 By Latonya Linton, The Jamaica Information Service.

Folks this ain’t no joking matter; the Ebola Virus is serious and has no cure. And in this age of Global Travel, it can easily spread anywhere, no matter the precautions taken by the countries where it comes from. The countries currently most affected by the Ebola Virus are:

1.      Guinea

2.      Liberia

3.      Sierra Leone

4.      Nigeria

The Ministry of Health merely advised against travel to any African countries and for travelers from those countries to report whether or not they’ve been there.

Unlike the Chikungunya Virus which is a mosquito borne disease, the Ebola Virus is transmitted through direct contact with the following bodily fluids:

1.      Blood

2.      Saliva

3.      Semen

4.      Stool

5.      Sweat

6.      Urine

I’ve been keeping my eye on this develpement via Twitter and Google Alerts as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “Google Alerts Diamond in the Rough coming to Google+ to deliver Technology News” and the various news agencies that I follow. It’s scary as unlike the Chikungunya Virus, there is no known cure for the Ebola Virus, which causes the victim to experience the following symptoms after 21 days:

1.      Diarrhoea

2.      Headache

3.      Intense weakness

4.      Muscle pain

5.      Rash

6.      Sore throat

7.      Sudden onset of fever

8.      Vomiting

The Ebola Virus eventually results in kidney and liver damage, as the dead Red Blood cells overwhelm both organs whose functions is the excretion of waste from the body. Eventually, the persons begin to hemorrhage from all their external body cavities as well as experience internal bleeding as their body’s cells get attacked by the Virus. 

Death is certain with this disease unlike the Chikungunya Virus which has a cure as detailed in my blog article entitled “How to fight Illness including Chikungunya Virus using Spices - US$40 Joseph Joseph SpiceStore Carousel helps you organize”; 90% is the mortality rate with survivors surviving because of regular Blood Transfusions.

ZMapp and Ebola – How a Three-Mouse Monoclonal Antibody cured Americans of Ebola

Then again, it appears that I might be wrong about the presence of a cure and survival….luckily. And yes, if case you’re reading this, this idea for an Ebola Virus Cure is indeed my idea!

With the exception of the experimental drug, known as ZMapp, developed by San Diego, California based biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc, as detailed in the article “Experimental drug likely saved Ebola patients”, published August 5, 2014 -- Updated 0136 GMT (0936 HKT) By Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Danielle Dellorto, CNN, there is no known cure for the Ebola Virus. 

ZMapp, according to the article is a three-mouse monoclonal antibody, which in my eyes makes the nine (9) employees, who are most likely all scientists at biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc, geniuses. What this basically means is that they took the Ebola Virus, killed it, most likely via irradiation with Gamma Rays or intense heat (Pasteurization) and then denatured the Ebola Virus into a soup cocktail made up purely of its constituent proteins using Hydrochloric Acid.

Thus the Ebola Virus was reduced to nothing more than a mixture of its constitution proteins, the main thing our immune system cannot defend itself against. It's a lot like inoculation, except via using the proteins that make up a dead Virus that can't replicate instead of a weakened Virus. This cocktail of proteins is then injected into the mice and their immune system then puts up a fight and develops antibodies to the protein fragments of the Ebola Virus.

Then in test trials on mice, three sets of mice are deliberately fed this Ebola Virus Protein cocktail:

1.      A Control Group of Mice is given a placebo injection

2.      An Experiment Group of Mice is given the fragments of Ebola Virus

3.      A Third Group of Mice is given the live Ebola Virus

As should be expected, the Third Group of Mice infected with the live Ebola Virus displayed symptoms of the Ebola Virus during the observation period and subsequently died. The Experiment Group of Mice will also fall ill, but will recover, as the Fragments of Ebola Virus are much weaker than the live Virus and put up a fight, thus allowing them to recover more quickly.

The blood of the Experiment Group of Mice is then removed and centrifuged so as to separate it into layers, one of which is the Blood Plasma, within which lies the White Blood cells of the Mice or T-Cells. These would have begun to develop antibodies in reaction to the fragments of the Ebola Virus Proteins.

Because these tests were produced via the use of three Groups of Mice, the extracted antibodies are called a three-mouse monoclonal antibody.  Tests with the live Ebola Virus on mice were conducted and these antibodies were used on other mice and even higher order animals such a chimpanzees.

According to the biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc it worked, with the animals recovering remarkably. Thus, it was with the consent of American missionary worker Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol that this experimental drug was administered.

ZMapp and the FDA – Jamaica as a Guinea Pig for Ebola Inoculations like Catherine the Great

ZMapp has been administered to American missionary worker for Samaritan’s Purse Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol at their consent under the USFDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) “compassionate use” regulation, which allows for the Guinea-pig testing of Experimental Drugs on human patients without investigative exhaustive trials via the consent of the persons in question.

So far has showed promising signs, even though it’s an untested drug and hasn’t undergone Clinical Trials. Thus when Ebola comes to the Caribbean and Jamaica, given our lackluster Medical Facilities, it would be nice if biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc were to come to Jamaica. They could use our population to do experimental trials of their ZMapp inoculation in the spirit of Catherine the Great, Tsaurina of Russia who became the first persons in her Country to be inoculated against Smallpox.

Also any dead from the Ebola Virus in Jamaica has to be burned or cremated immediately via Morgue without cleaning or touching the body. Care has to be taken in handling body fluids and workers around Ebola Victims will have to wear full Body BioHazard Suits and disinfect themselves each time they enter and leave the quarantine facility. This isn’t the worse Epidemic and we should be thankful it hasn’t become a Global Pandemic as a little under 2000 persons have died thus far.

Beyond that, all we can do in Jamaica is hope and pray, as like Chikungunya Virus, Ebola will eventually be in the island, given our Medical Facilities that are ill-equipped to even handle the current Water Shortage that is STILL ongoing. And along with Haitian people carrying the Chikungunya Virus, avoid all persons with an African Accent as they may be carriers of the Ebola Virus.