Fresh hope appears in the horizon for Ebola
patients as Japan on Monday expressed its
readiness to provide its anti-influenza drug as
treatment for the deadly virus.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide
Suga, made the offer hours after a group of
scientist in the United Kingdom said it had
discovered that the largest outbreak of the
Ebola Virus Disease was caused by an
infected fruit bat that bit a toddler.
Briefing journalists in Tokyo on Monday,
Suga said Japan was ready to offer the drug,
Favipiravir, which was developed by Toyama
Chemical, a subsidiary of Fujifilm, any time
the World Health Organisation requested it.
Approved by the Japanese health ministry in
March, Favipiravir is a tablet developed for
the treatment of novel and re-emerging
influenza viruses.
Suga, according to the Agence France
Presse, said Japan was waiting for WHO’s
decision on further details over the use of
untested drugs.
He however said that “in case of an
emergency, Japan may respond to individual
requests before any further decision by the
WHO.”
The spokesperson for the company, Takao
Aoki, said Fujifilm had initiated talks with the
United States on how the drug could be
adopted in treating EVD.
He said, “Fujifilm is in talks with the US Food
and Drug Administration on clinical testing of
the drug in treating Ebola, The company has
Favipiravir stock for more than 20,000
patients. Ebola and influenza viruses are the
same type and theoretically similar effects
can be expected on Ebola,” he said.
It was however not known as of Thursday
last week if Favipiravir is the drug the Federal
Ministry of Health had said it had requested
from a foreign country.
The ministry which turned down a trial drug,
Nano Silver, had applied for ZMapp which
was administered on two US aid workers who
contracted the virus in Liberia.
The two were discharged last Thursday, a
few days after Washington said it did not
have enough XMapp to send to countries in
need of it.
ZMapp fails Liberian doctor
However, a Liberian doctor , Abraham
Borbor, has died despite taking ZMapp,
according to a statement by the Liberia’s
information minister, Lewis Brown.
Borbor was one of three doctors in Liberia
who had been given ZMapp and was showing
signs of recovery.
“Borbor was showing signs of improvement
but on Sunday, he took a turn for the worse,”
Brown told the British Broadcasting
Corporation.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government on
Monday reversed the number of confirmed
EVD cases in Nigeria from 14 to 13.
Health Minister, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu,
said while briefing journalists in Abuja that
the development followed the outcome of a
further confirmation test conducted on the
14th case, which turned out to be negative.
He also said another patient in the isolation
centre in Lagos had after receiving treatment
tested negative.
The patient, according to him, will be
dicharged before Wednesday.
He said the development would bring from
four to two, the number of patients still in the
isolation ward.
The minister added that the number of deaths
recorded so far in the country as a result of
the disease still remained five, including the
Late Patrick Sawyer, who brought the EVD to
Nigeria from Liberia.
Chukwu said, “We have been able to manage
and discharge five persons who had tested
positive to the deadly virus, while the sixth
person would be dicharged within the next 48
hours.
“For each case that tested negative, we run
further confirmatory tests to make sure that
anybody that is labelled as EVD victim, is
truly having the disease.
“The 14th case has turned out to be negative
in terms of anaemia and symptoms, so that
has now reversed number of EVD cases in
Nigeria from 14 to 13 and that includes the
index case (Sawyer).
“As of today (Monday), we have three
patients receiving treatment in the isolation
ward in Lagos but certainly, before
Wednesday, one of them would be
discharged because he has tested negative
and we are now concluding his discharge
process.”
The ministry also denied reports (The
PUNCH not included) which claimed that the
younger sister of the late Dr. Stella
Adadevoh, had tested positive to the EVD.
The minister’s Special Adviser on Media and
Communications, Dan Nwomeh, said on
Monday that no new patient had been
admitted into the treatment centre in Lagos.
He said, “We are not aware of that
development, but to avoid any confusion,
Minister of Health reiterates that he has the
sole authority to announce confirmed and
discharged EVD cases.
“Any doubtful information on the outbreak of
EVD should be verified from the office of the
minister , we are on all social media
platforms.”
A group of 17 UK-based European and
African scientists have found out that the
largest outbreak of the EVD was caused by
an infected fruit bats that bit a toddler.
The tropical disease researchers, ecologists
and anthropologists had spent three weeks
investigating the outbreak of the disease in
Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia and Ivory Coast.
According to the Daily Mail, the scientists
captured some bats and other creatures near
the village of Meliandoua in Guinea, where
the present epidemic began last year in
December.
According to the scientists, the toddler, who
was bitten by a fruit bat passed the infection
on to his mother and both died within a week.
The disease was then spread far and wide by
mourners who attended their funeral.
Scientists have long believed that bats are
the main carriers for the disease but it is rare
for them to pass it on to man.
Most of the previous outbreaks have been
caused by meat from dead infected animals
collected by hunters who then sell it on.
Fruit bats, however, are widely eaten in some
rural areas of West Africa – either smoked,
grilled or in a spicy soup.
The team led by epidemiologist Fabian
Leendertz, a disease ecologist at the Robert
Koch Institute in Berlin, are expected to
publish their results in a major journal soon.
Initial research believed that a new strain of
Ebola had emerged in West Africa but
according to Herr Leendertz, the strain of the
disease is one related to Zaire ebolavirus,
identified more than 10 years ago in the
Congo.


www.punchng.com/news/ebola-japan-offers-drug-nigerian-patient-to-be-discharged/

When the sun don't shine anymore and it gets dark. . . You'd know your true friends. Because even your own shadow will leave you. God bless you Japan! Time to curb and earadicate this menace.

Which approval is japan waiting for again to get from WHO?
WHO has already said untested drugs can be used in d treatment of EVD since it's an emergency and there is no known cure for it.
The drug to cure ebola can come from any country, but i hate it to come from d US ; their help is always tied to something. Fawking capitalist!

Phame: Which approval is japan waiting for again to get from WHO?
WHO has already said untested drugs can be used in d treatment of EVD since it's an emergency and there is no known cure for it.
The drug to cure ebola can come from any country, but i hate it to come from d US ; their help is always tied to something. Fawking capitalist!

Its up to Nigeria now. . . Japan has done exceptionally well. Its up to the FGN now. BTW screw the US.

since zmapp is nolonger d magical cure, d drug favir from japan wont b any different

containment remains d best option 4 9ja though dis z not saying we shld not accept drugs fro japan

hushmail: since zmapp is nolonger d magical cure, d drug favir from japan wont b any different

containment remains d best option 4 9ja though dis z not saying we shld not accept drugs fro japan

Absolutely true, but we must explore every avenue. We must get this drug and even Tekmira if possible.

phreakabit:
Its up to Nigeria now. . . Japan has done exceptionally well. Its up to the FGN now. BTW screw the US.

the FG wld prefer to get it frm d US. For them, If it is not frm d US, it wont work. They fell to their knees when d US condemned nanosilver and, made u-turn to discredit d drug because d US said so without our medical team carrying out any experinment to prove its efficiency. U can imagine d kind of people we hav in gov't.

The way SARS got a cure during d tym it was raving Asia, I strongly believe Ebola wil get a cure too.

Between, I think it was afta Ebola got 2Nigeria, dat other countries started taking Ebola seriously&experimental drugs began 2evolve.What happened b4 then? Cos it said d scientists discovered dat d virus came 2being afta a toddler was bitten by a fruit bat in December&Liberia recorded their 1st case in March.

B4 then, y didn't these countries do somethng abt d virus til foreigners got infected&it also found its way 2Nigeria.

Nigeria is a whistle blower anyway&once somethng gets 2Nigeria,trust me,its wil b evrywhere in d world cos Nigerians travel a lot.

Anyway,we pray 2God 4dis Japanese drug 2b d IT drug as in d hardcore curer of Ebola virus disease.

In God we trust

phreakabit: When the sun don't shine anymore and it gets dark. . . You'd know your true friends. Because even your own shadow will leave you. God bless you Japan! Time to curb and earadicate this menace.

Japan is your friend? Haha. What a joke! All these companies trying to get their untested drugs approved are after the long term profit.

Right now, Mapp pharmaceuticals is working vigorously to produce a large stockpile of Zmapp to send to Africa and make profit. By the way, if this Japanese favipiravir works, they will mass-produce it and sell tons of it to African nations.

These are profit-oriented companies involved.

Phame: the FG wld prefer to get it frm d US. For them, If it is not frm d US, it wont work. They fell to their knees when d US condemned nanosilver and, made u-turn to discredit d drug because d US said so without our medical team carrying out any experinment to prove its efficiency. U can imagine d kind of people we hav in gov't.

How do you know the medical team didn't carry out any test to prove it's efficacy? Please tell me your source of info.

Frankenstein: Japan is your friend? Haha. What a joke! All these companies trying to get their untested drugs approved are after the long term profit.

Right now, Mapp pharmaceuticals is working vigorously to produce a large stockpile of Zmapp to send to Africa and make profit. By the way, if this Japanese favipiravir works, they will mass-produce it and sell tons of it to African nations.

These are profit-oriented companies involved.

Nothing is free bro. If we pay for it. . . ts only fair deal if you ask me. Whoever developed this spent years and time doing so, and thus deserves some credit monetarily or otherwise. profiteering is human nature after all. At least they didn't hide it from Africa unlike some animals I know.

johndanny:
A group of 17 UK-based European and
African scientists have found out that the
largest outbreak of the EVD was caused by
an infected fruit bats that bit a toddler.

The tropical disease researchers, ecologists
and anthropologists had spent three weeks
investigating the outbreak of the disease in
Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia and Ivory Coast.
According to the Daily Mail, the scientists
captured some bats and other creatures near
the village of Meliandoua in Guinea, where
the present epidemic began last year in
December.

According to the scientists, the toddler, who
was bitten by a fruit bat passed the infection
on to his mother and both died within a week.


The disease was then spread far and wide by
mourners who attended their funeral.

Scientists have long believed that bats are
the main carriers for the disease but it is rare
for them to pass it on to man.

Most of the previous outbreaks have been
caused by meat from dead infected animals
collected by hunters who then sell it on.

Fruit bats, however, are widely eaten in some
rural areas of West Africa – either smoked,
grilled or in a spicy soup.

www.punchng.com/news/ebola-japan-offers-drug-nigerian-patient-to-be-discharged/

That's d way disease spread.The traditional healer wil try 2use his herbs 2heal then contact d virus&transfer it 2his family

Then Mourners wil com 2pay their last respect&carry their own.

Then they'l run 2church 4healing&it'l spread further.Frm d pastor&prayer warriors laying hand on d ebola carrier who's already showing symptoms to family member,staff,neighbours, ppl at d markt&so on.
Family members caring 4all d infected ones are usually d 1st victims.

Then there goes d unserious govt who refuses 2do anythng lik containment of d outbreak; warning neighbouring countries&closing boarders&screening travellers in d Likes of Patrick Sawyer who brought it 2Nigeria further spread it across other Nations.

God help us.

What drug are they using to treat all those being discharged and those waiting to be discharged pls? Is it our bitter cola, immune booster, or nanosilver? And why is it that while some die especially the two female doctors/nurse, some survive? Pls I'll like to know

Beync: What drug are they using to treat all those being discharged and those waiting to be discharged pls? Is it our bitter cola, immune booster, or nanosilver? And why is it that while some die especially the two female doctors/nurse, some survive? Pls I'll like to know

I feel those they claim to have healed are the suspected cases. Whenever they complete their incubation period without the virus manifesting, they patient will be discharged. The female doctor with the nurses all had grade one contact with the evil sawyer. I also will like to believe that immunity plays a role. Some people s immunity can be quite high, in that case the person s body system will fight off the virus at the onset.

other established professional can correct me if am wrong.

conyema12:

I feel those they claim to have healed are the suspected cases. Whenever they complete their incubation period without the virus manifesting, they patient will be discharged. The female doctor with the nurses all had grade one contact with the evil sawyer. I also will like to believe that immunity plays a role. Some people s immunity can be quite high, in that case the person s body system will fight off the virus at the onset.

other established professional can correct me if am wrong.

yes I had about that immunity in relation to a particular genetic type that can fight the virus thou but I just want to know whether those people were actually treated and with what drug