Spanish priest dies in Madrid five days after being flown out of Liberia
* Miguel Pajares dies five days after being airlifted from Liberia to Madrid
* Death toll climbs above 1,000 and outbreak shows no signs of slowing
* WHO declares it ethical to use untested drugs to attempt to control virus
* Missionary Mr Pajares, 75, caught Ebola while treating patients in Liberia
* He was 'given ZMapp drug' credited with recovery of two US aid workers
The Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa claimed its first European life yesterday.
Spanish priest Miguel Pajares died five days after being airlifted from Liberia to Madrid for expert care.
With the death toll climbing above 1,000 and the outbreak showing no signs of slowing, the World Health Organisation declared it ethical to use untested drugs to attempt to control the virus.
His condition was described as stable on arrival in Spain and it is thought he was given ZMapp, an experimental drug credited with the ‘miraculous’ recovery of two American aid workers.
His body will be cremated today to prevent the virus spreading.
Last night, two doses of ZMapp were on their way to Liberia to treat two doctors – the first Africans to receive the drug.
The development follows concern that the antibody medicine, which is grown in tobacco plants and has not been formally tested on humans, was being reserved for use on Westerners.
The Liberian government said it was aware that the drug’s safety had not been established but that it had no option but to try using it.
Information Minister Lewis Brown told the BBC: ‘The alternative to not testing this is death, a certain death.
‘This is not even the rock and the hard place for us. We think those who have been infected should be given the chance to have that tested on them if they give their consent to do so.’
With no conventional treatment or vaccine available for Ebola, and this outbreak being the worst ever, interest in ZMapp is high.
But production is slow and with only 12 doses made, its US manufacturer says the supply is now exhausted.
More Information on Ebola: key signs, symptoms, treatment and prevention
source: dailymail
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