Doctors find collection of plasma for treatment of coronavirus patients a big challenge as people in the country nurture a kind of superstition and fear about the process. Experimental activities of plasma therapy in the treatment of such patients began fairly recently as it is possible to prevent a lung infection in a person with Covid-19.
According to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), plasma therapy has been started in the treatment of coronavirus in many countries of the world including the United States. Like them, DMCH has also taken up this project experimentally. Plasma was collected from two doctors who recovered from coronavirus at DMCH last Saturday. It will be gradually increased.
Dr. MA Khan, head of the expert committee on plasma therapy in Bangladesh and professor of hematology Department at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, told The Business Post that 600 ml of plasma can be taken from one's body. From this it is possible to give 200 or 300 ml to two / three people. Initially, plasma therapy will be given to the severely affected patients at DMCH.
However, Professor MA Khan thinks that collecting plasma from coronavirus survivors is a big challenge. "Many people think that giving plasma can lead to re-infection," he said. That's not right at all. Those who give plasma have nothing to worry about. There are no side effects. He said it would not be possible to collect plasma without the participation of coronavirus survivors and government cooperation.
Professor MA Khan added that plasma therapy is usually used in patients with coronavirus who have very low levels of oxygen in the blood. If plasma therapy is applied, the coronavirus survivor’s antibody will enter the coronavirus patient's body in a short period of time it will neutralize the virus. As a result, there will be no acute infection in the lungs. These patients do not need to be taken to ICU. Even ventilation does not have to be provided.
Dr. Saif Ullah Munshi, head of the virology department at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), told The Business Post that plasma donation is as normal as blood donation. There is nothing to fear or panic. Plasma therapy is relatively effective in treating coronavirus. So those who have recovered from coronavirus should donate plasma.
He added that so far about 4,000 people have been cured of Covid-19 in Bangladesh. If plasma is collected from them, it is possible to give plasma therapy to at least 10,000 more people. In this case, you have to contact the recovered people with the list of IEDCR. The government should take initiative to encourage them to donate plasma.
Dildar Hossain, a medical officer in the kidney disease department of Suhrawardy Hospital, was one of the two who gave plasma to Dhaka Medical on the first day. He said there is no fear in donating plasma. It's not the least bit harmful. So without any fear or hesitation, Covid-19 survivors should donate plasma. Because with one’s plasma two to three people can get back to life.
Asked about this, Health Minister Zahid Maleque told The Business Post that the list published by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the treatment of Covid-19 also includes plasma therapy. The Ministry of Health has formed a technical subcommittee to look into the possibility of plasma therapy. This committee is working on this. In the light of this, its experimental activities have started in Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. If the results are satisfactory, the scope of plasma therapy will be further extended.
Doctors say that human blood contains 55% water. It is called plasma. Antibodies are made in the body of each of those who have fully recovered after being infected with coronavirus. That is, the immune system is developed. Coronadoids have antibodies in the blood plasma. If the antibodies made in the body of a coronavirus survivor are applied to the body of a person infected with the deadly virus, he will recover.
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