NEW YORK/PARIS, DECEMBER 7, 2020—
Doctors Without Borders/M?decins Sans Fronti?res’ (MSF) case studies published in The Lancet this month examine the first two Ebola-negative babies ever known to be born to Ebola-positive mothers. Both the mothers and babies received trial Ebola treatments while in an MSF-supported Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Historically, nearly all babies born to Ebola-positive mothers have been miscarried or stillborn, or died shortly after birth. While the survival of these two newborns could signal that babies at risk of Ebola may benefit from these medicines immediately after they’re born, more research is needed before any conclusions can be made, said the international medical humanitarian organization.
“MSF has been working with affected countries to fight Ebola outbreaks for decades,” said Dr. Saschveen Singh, tropical infectious diseases advisor for MSF and one of the authors of the report. “These cases provide hope that Ebola may no longer be a death sentence for babies born to mothers with the virus. We can’t say for certain that these antibody therapies are the answer to preventing the spread of Ebola from mothers to their babies, but we can say these observations from our work in DRC are very encouraging and that more research should urgently be done for vulnerable groups like pregnant women and their babies.”
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Case Study Link:
Ebola-negative neonates born to Ebola-infected mothers after monoclonal antibody therapy: a case series
The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
Volume 4, Issue 12, December 2020, Pages 884-888
Doctors Without Borders/M?decins Sans Fronti?res’ (MSF) case studies published in The Lancet this month examine the first two Ebola-negative babies ever known to be born to Ebola-positive mothers. Both the mothers and babies received trial Ebola treatments while in an MSF-supported Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Historically, nearly all babies born to Ebola-positive mothers have been miscarried or stillborn, or died shortly after birth. While the survival of these two newborns could signal that babies at risk of Ebola may benefit from these medicines immediately after they’re born, more research is needed before any conclusions can be made, said the international medical humanitarian organization.
“MSF has been working with affected countries to fight Ebola outbreaks for decades,” said Dr. Saschveen Singh, tropical infectious diseases advisor for MSF and one of the authors of the report. “These cases provide hope that Ebola may no longer be a death sentence for babies born to mothers with the virus. We can’t say for certain that these antibody therapies are the answer to preventing the spread of Ebola from mothers to their babies, but we can say these observations from our work in DRC are very encouraging and that more research should urgently be done for vulnerable groups like pregnant women and their babies.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Case Study Link:
Ebola-negative neonates born to Ebola-infected mothers after monoclonal antibody therapy: a case series
The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
Volume 4, Issue 12, December 2020, Pages 884-888
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