INDIA: Plasma therapy, also known as convalescent plasma therapy, is a medical treatment that uses the antibodies found in the blood of COVID-19 patients who have recovered from the infection to help fight the virus in sick individuals.
Use of Plasma therapy in COVID-19 treatment
The treatment involves collecting the blood plasma from recovered patients and transfusing it into patients who are currently suffering from the virus.
The theory behind plasma therapy is that the antibodies found in the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients can help boost the immune systems of sick individuals and help them fight off the virus.
Plasma therapy has been used for decades to treat various diseases, including hepatitis, rabies, and Ebola.
Plasma therapy has shown some promising results in the treatment of COVID-19. In a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, researchers found that convalescent plasma therapy effectively reduced the severity and duration of the illness in COVID-19 patients.
Study also claim that the treatment was most effective when given early in the course of the illness.
Despite these promising results, plasma therapy is not a cure-all for COVID-19. The treatment requires more research to fully determine its effectiveness in battling the pandemic once and for all.
In addition, some potential risks associated with the treatment include allergic reactions and the transmission of infectious diseases.
One of the main challenges with plasma therapy is finding enough recovered COVID-19 patients to donate their plasma.
To be eligible to donate plasma, individuals must have recovered from the virus and have high antibodies in their blood. Finding enough donors can be difficult, especially in areas where the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is low.
Another challenge with plasma therapy is that it is relatively time-consuming and labour-intensive. Collecting plasma from recovered patients requires specialized equipment and trained personnel.
The plasma must also be carefully screened and tested before its transfusion to sick patients.
Despite these challenges, plasma therapy remains a promising treatment option for COVID-19. Researchers and medical professionals worldwide are continuing to study the effectiveness of the treatment and working to identify ways to make it more widely available.
In conclusion, plasma therapy is a medical treatment that uses the antibodies found in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients to help fight the virus in sick individuals. While the treatment has shown some promising results, it is still in the experimental stage, and more research is needed to determine its effectiveness.
Challenges such as finding enough donors and the labour-intensive nature of the treatment process have made it challenging to make plasma therapy widely available.
However, researchers and medical professionals are continuing to study the treatment and work to overcome these challenges to find a successful treatment for COVID-19.