A girl receives a vaccine against Ebola from a nurse in Goma on August 7, 2019 (AFP Photo/Augustin WAMENYA) |
Washington (AFP) - Scientists were a step closer to an effective treatment for Ebola after two drugs in a clinical trial were found to significantly boost survival rates, the US health authority co-funding the research said Monday.
The study
began last November in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but its current phase
has been halted and all future patients switched over to the treatments that
have shown positive results, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) said in
a statement.
REGN-EB3
and mAb114 "are the first drugs that, in a scientifically sound study, have
clearly shown a significant diminution in mortality for people with Ebola virus
disease," Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH's National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told AFP.
Patients
who were receiving two other drugs that are being discontinued, Zmapp and
remdesivir, will now have the option at the discretion of their treating
physician to receive the treatments that have been shown to work.
Fauci
explained that the trial was designed to include 725 people, but was halted by
an independent board when it had enrolled 681 people because at that point, one
of the drugs, REGN-EB3 by Regeneron, reached a critical threshold in success,
while mAb114 was not far behind.
Data has so
far been analyzed for 499 people from the cohort of 681.
In this
group, mortality dropped to 29 percent with REGN-EB3 and with mAb114 it fell to
34 percent, said Fauci -- compared to a rate of between 60 and 67 percent in
the general population when the disease is not treated by a drug.
The rates
for Zmapp and remdesivir were 49 percent and 53 percent respectively.
REGN-EB3,
mAb114 and Zmapp are monoclonal antibodies that bind to glycoprotein on the
Ebola virus and neutralize its ability to infect other cells.
Fauci added
that the final analysis of the data, including the patients not yet processed,
would occur in late September or early October, after which the complete
results would be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed medical literature.
The NIH, Democratic
Republic of Congo health authorities and the World Health Organization hailed
the "extraordinary team of individuals who have worked under extremely
difficult conditions to carry out this study," as well as the patients and
their families.
Vaccine
still key
Jeremy
Farrar, director of Britain's Wellcome Trust research charity, said the
development would "undoubtedly save lives," adding: "Thanks to
this trial, we are starting to understand which treatments to offer to patients
in this and future outbreaks."
More than
1,800 people have died in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since Ebola
broke out there in August last year.
The virus
is transmitted to people from wild animals, then spreads among humans through
direct contact with the blood or other secretions of infected people or with
surfaces contaminated with their fluids, according to the World Health
Organization.
The latest
trial demonstrates "you can dramatically diminish the mortality,"
said Fauci, "but getting rid of the Ebola virus becomes a (case of)
prevention, of how you could prevent this from spreading."
"The
best way to end the outbreak is with a good vaccine, as well as to do good
contact tracing, isolation, and then, ultimately, treatment."
Health
authorities are currently investigating several vaccine candidates.
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One of those times might be frightening for you to know about, since it was a full cooperation with Gaia for your termination, and a pandemic almost wiped humanity off the map. A pandemic! Now, you say, "What has that got to do with Human consciousness, Kryon?" Pay attention, dear ones, because this is the day where the teaching was given by my partner, and he put together the Nine Human Attributes. One of the attribute sets included three Gaia attributes and one of them was the consciousness of the planet. Gaia is related to Human consciousness!
Are you starting to connect the dots? You are connected to this planet in a profound and spiritual way. As goes humanity goes the planet's consciousness. Gaia, Mother Nature, whatever you want to call it, cooperates with Human consciousness. If you spend 1,000 years killing each other, then Gaia will do its best to cooperate with your desires! Gaia will look at Human consciousness and try to help with what you have shown you like to do! Did you know this role of Gaia with you? It's a partner with you, fast tracking what you give to it. You may wish to review what the indigenous of the planet still understand. Gaia is a partner!
Pandemic: Don't you find it odd that in the last 50 years, when you have a population of seven billion Human Beings, with up to 2,000 airplanes in the air at any given moment, going between almost every conceivable place, that there has not been a pandemic in your lifetime? There have been five starts of potential pandemics over the last 20 years, yet none became serious. Did any of you put this together? Dear ones, when the world was far less populated a few hundred years ago, with no mass travel to spread a virus, there were still millions wiped out by a pandemic. With the increased population and mass travel, there is far more danger today than before. It doesn't make sense, does it? What happened to stop it?
When you know humanity's relationship to Gaia, it makes sense. Gaia is a life-force that is your partner, watching you change the balance of light and dark and reflecting what Humans want. It has polarity, too! Perhaps it's time to start your meditations with thanking your planet Earth for supporting you in the spirituality of your Akash, for always being with you, a life-force that is always present. The ancients started their ceremonies in that way. Have you forgotten?
Ebola
Now, I've just set the stage for the next subject, haven't I? Ebola. Are you afraid yet? Gaia is a life-force that is a part of Human consciousness. My partner put it on the screen today so you could see the connections [during the lecture series]. Now it's time to connect the dots. Dear one, Gaia is in the battle, too, for here comes something scary that you haven't had in your lifetime and you're afraid of it - the potential of a pandemic on the planet.
There's a very famous film that has some dialogue that my partner will quote. Some of you will know it and some of you won't, but here it is: "Have a little fire, scarecrow?" What are you afraid of? Darkness? Gaia is in the battle with you and is actively pursuing solutions through light. The energy of the planet is with you in this fight! The ebola virus is a shock and a surprise. It is propelled by ignorance and fear, so it can flourish. Look at where it started and look at how it gets its ability to continue. It expands its fear and power easily with those who believe it's a curse instead of those who understand the science.
Villages are filled with those who refuse to leave their family members because they believe the disease is a curse! FEAR! Instead of understanding that they should be in isolation from the virus, the family dies together through ignorance and fear. This represents how darkness works. Are you going to become afraid also? Dear ones, ebola will be conquered. Know this and be at peace. Pray for light for those in the villages who are afraid, that they can know more about how to keep the spread of this disease and live to see their families. .”
There's a very famous film that has some dialogue that my partner will quote. Some of you will know it and some of you won't, but here it is: "Have a little fire, scarecrow?" What are you afraid of? Darkness? Gaia is in the battle with you and is actively pursuing solutions through light. The energy of the planet is with you in this fight! The ebola virus is a shock and a surprise. It is propelled by ignorance and fear, so it can flourish. Look at where it started and look at how it gets its ability to continue. It expands its fear and power easily with those who believe it's a curse instead of those who understand the science.
Villages are filled with those who refuse to leave their family members because they believe the disease is a curse! FEAR! Instead of understanding that they should be in isolation from the virus, the family dies together through ignorance and fear. This represents how darkness works. Are you going to become afraid also? Dear ones, ebola will be conquered. Know this and be at peace. Pray for light for those in the villages who are afraid, that they can know more about how to keep the spread of this disease and live to see their families. .”
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