Newsmax Panel: Experimental Ebola Drugs Have Run Out
Monday, 06 Oct 2014 11:03 AM
The Liberian man diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas is not receiving an experimental drug because there is a dearth of supply, according to Harvard law professor and medical ethicist I. Glenn Cohen, who appeared Monday on Newsmax TV's "America's Forum" with Dr. Raul A. Perez-Vasquez and Newsmax Deputy Health Editor Nick Tate to discuss the situation.
"[The drugs] were not withheld purposefully," Cohen said. "There are limited supplies and there are protocols in place to decide who gets them when supplies are limited."
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There is no "cure" for Ebola, only treatment of the symptoms, according to Tate, who said there's a race to develop effective drugs but that in the meantime, the limited supply of experimental drugs has run out.
On the front burner at the White House is the subject of travel restrictions to West Africa, where Ebola is a medical crisis.
Health officials, according to Tate, are meeting in Washington today to discuss what can be done at U.S. airports, such as isolating anyone coming from those areas who is exhibiting symptoms. Currently, travelers are being checked in Africa, but not once they arrive in the U.S., he said.
Travel restrictions to and from West Africa should be enacted, he said.
"I spoke with two doctors last week who both said that that's absolutely what we should be doing," Tate said. "That is, until we can get this outbreak under control in West Africa we need to be restricting the travel between here and there, particularly for just people who are traveling for reasons that are not related to controlling the outbreak."
If studies show that banning travel to and from West Africa will mitigate the spread, Perez-Vazquez said he favors doing so. Cohen cautioned that travel restrictions should only be issued if there is clear and convincing evidence that doing so would be an effective way to halt the spread of the virus.
For weeks, Tate noted, the government and health officials have been reassuring Americans that Ebola is "contained and controlled" and that there's nothing to worry about.
"What happened in Dallas reflects that in fact it was not controlled," he said. "In fact, mistakes were made at the ER that let the patient back out into the community. So I completely understand people's concerns and my opinion about it is that we should be at the absolute highest levels of alert and looking at very aggressive ways to keep this Ebola virus and outbreak from spreading beyond the danger zone in West Africa."
In addition to coming in contact with saliva, blood, vomit, and diarrhea, Perez-Vasquez said there's a possibility that contact with an infected person's perspiration may also out someone at risk for contracting Ebola.
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© 2014 Newsmax. All rights reserved."[The drugs] were not withheld purposefully," Cohen said. "There are limited supplies and there are protocols in place to decide who gets them when supplies are limited."
Story continues below
There is no "cure" for Ebola, only treatment of the symptoms, according to Tate, who said there's a race to develop effective drugs but that in the meantime, the limited supply of experimental drugs has run out.
On the front burner at the White House is the subject of travel restrictions to West Africa, where Ebola is a medical crisis.
Health officials, according to Tate, are meeting in Washington today to discuss what can be done at U.S. airports, such as isolating anyone coming from those areas who is exhibiting symptoms. Currently, travelers are being checked in Africa, but not once they arrive in the U.S., he said.
Travel restrictions to and from West Africa should be enacted, he said.
"I spoke with two doctors last week who both said that that's absolutely what we should be doing," Tate said. "That is, until we can get this outbreak under control in West Africa we need to be restricting the travel between here and there, particularly for just people who are traveling for reasons that are not related to controlling the outbreak."
If studies show that banning travel to and from West Africa will mitigate the spread, Perez-Vazquez said he favors doing so. Cohen cautioned that travel restrictions should only be issued if there is clear and convincing evidence that doing so would be an effective way to halt the spread of the virus.
For weeks, Tate noted, the government and health officials have been reassuring Americans that Ebola is "contained and controlled" and that there's nothing to worry about.
"What happened in Dallas reflects that in fact it was not controlled," he said. "In fact, mistakes were made at the ER that let the patient back out into the community. So I completely understand people's concerns and my opinion about it is that we should be at the absolute highest levels of alert and looking at very aggressive ways to keep this Ebola virus and outbreak from spreading beyond the danger zone in West Africa."
In addition to coming in contact with saliva, blood, vomit, and diarrhea, Perez-Vasquez said there's a possibility that contact with an infected person's perspiration may also out someone at risk for contracting Ebola.
Related Stories:
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