The new vaccine which saved close to 90 per cent of the newly infected patients infected with the Ebola Virus in Congo is not only welcoming but relieving.
Dr Jean Jacque Muyembe, the General Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Dr Congo, spent over 50 years trying to find the cure of the disease describes the results of his lifetime research as “the achievement of a lifetime”
In an interview with Esau Williams from Focus on Africa, Dr Muyembe explained how the medicine works to cure the Ebola disease within an hour. He explained that the monoclonal antibodies are specific antibodies that bind to the Ebola Virus and neutralises the virus and as such the symptoms begin to wane within an hour of receiving treatment.
Therefore, if an infected person takes the antibodies via a singular intravenous injection, the virus is neutralized especially if the patient comes for treatment early enough.
He also clarified that the monoclonal antibodies can only treat the virus but will not prevent a person from contracting the virus.
The Ebola Virus has been a very critical epidemic killing its victims, thousands of victims have lost their lives especially in the DR Congo where there is currently an epidemic of the virus. Until this moment, no cure has been found for the virus which makes this feat a breakthrough in the fight against Ebola and will further help to contain the disease and more importantly prevent the loss of lives.