Blood Plasma may help Coronavirus patients

The news that Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for the illness that has caused the recent pandemic is troubling to many Americans. This makes it all the more real for fans of the beloved couple. CNN and other news outlets are painting a bleak picture for this nation and Italy just stated that all businesses except banks and grocery stores must shut down. In the midst there has not been any credible information regarding a cure. There may, however, now be some good news regarding this issue. Those who have been infected by the coronavirus, might be able to find help from the plasma of people who had the virus and are recovering from the disease, The following information seems credible and that it might be the answer.

Utilizing purified blood plasma is a centuries old technique that could become the first line of defense for those affected by Covid-19. Medical literature that was published during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 includes some interesting information that may still be relevant today. There are case studies that outline how transfusions of blood products are beneficial. Plasma that was obtained from flu survivors might have contributed to a reduction of 50% in the death rate among severely ill patients. In 1934, their was a measles outbreak at a Pennsylvania boarding school, but it was halted before it became an epidemic. Blood serum harvested from the first infected student was used to treat 62 other students.

Instead of the measles germs spreading, only three of the 62 students developed the disease and all were mild cases. More recently, patients with Ebola and the avian flu were successfully treated with plasma-derived therapy . On Wednesday March 11, the Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. announced it was developing a new coronavirus drug derived from the blood plasma. This serum will come from the plasma of people who have recovered from Covid-19. This approach to treating the current virus is based on a unique idea. It is believed that recovering patients develop antibodies that might strengthen the immune system of subsequent patients.

Blood plasma is the liquid component of blood. Patients who have recovered from a disease host permanent antibodies for that particular illness that are floating in their blood plasma. These antibodies are believed to boost the immune system., Plasma is harvested, purified and tested for safety before turning it into a drug. The antibodies are then isolated. The new patient is injected with the “plasma-derived therapy” which is also known as convalescent plasma. This process provides what is considered to be y“passive immunity” until the patient’s own immune system generates its own antibodies.

Although this sounds exciting, Mike Ryan, the head of emergencies for WHO, the World Health Organization offers a word of caution. He says this procedure must be carefully administered and at just the precise timing. He added that blood plasma therapy is not always successful. Ryan still believes, however, that convalescent plasma is a “very important area to pursue ” as a potential treatment for those diagnosed with Covid-19. “He added that this therapy must be given at the right time because it mops up the virus that is inside the system and provides most nevessary boost to the new patients immune system just when it is needed. This should be reassuring to those seeking valid medical information as there is a lot of fake news being reported on the Internet. There have even been people peddling false cures online.

In February, a special clinic was set up by doctors in Shanghai. Convalescent plasma was administered to select patients who were newly infected with coronavirus. Greg Poland is a physician and infectious disease expert at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He says there have only been only heard anecdotal reports of encouraging results from China and nothing has yet been published. He did say that he believes this approach is indeed worth a try. Please note that the experts indicate that this treatment would not be administered to everyone who is infected withCov-19, but only those with severe cases of coronavirus. In the meantime everyone needs to continue with precautionary measures such as frequently washing hands, using hand sanitizer ang obeying any new regulations from local governments.