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MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — The last known doses of an experimental Ebola drug are now in the West African country of Liberia. And health officials there are facing an excruciating choice, as they try to decide which few Ebola patients will get the drug.
The government had already said two doctors would be among those receiving the treatment, but it's not clear who else will get it. One health official says, "We are definitely going to be focusing on medical staff."
The California company that developed the drug known as ZMapp has said it will take months to build up even a modest supply.
So far, only two Americans and one Spaniard have received the drug. The Americans are improving — but it is unclear what role the drug has played. The Spaniard died.
According to the World Health Organization, Ebola has killed more than half of the nearly 2,000 people who've been sickened in the current outbreak.
Nigeria's health minister today announced that there's another Ebola case in Africa's most populous country, bringing the total confirmed cases there to 11.
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APPHOTO ALIB105: People wash their hands with disinfectant as a preventative measure against the Ebola virus, in the city of Monrovia, Liberia. Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. Liberia faced an excruciating choice Thursday: deciding which handful of Ebola patients will receive an experimental drug that could prove either life-saving or life-threatening. ZMapp, the untested Ebola drug, arrived in the West African country late Wednesday. (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh) (14 Aug 2014)
<<APPHOTO ALIB105 (08/14/14)££
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