The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) on Tuesday announced that plasma therapy should not be considered as a cure for coronavirus.
While illegal sale and purchase of convalescent plasma (CP) has become a norm across the country, the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) on Tuesday announced that plasma therapy should not be considered as a cure for deadly coronavirus. The announcement came after it was known by everyone that people are selling and purchasing convalescent plasma illegally for tens of thousands of rupees across the country.
The ministry went on to call the plasma therapy harmful that has serious side effects like it may increase body temperature, start headache, and backache. It may also have an allergic reaction, bronchospasm, transmission of diseases like HIV, hepatitis B, and C, transfusion-associated circulatory overload, and transfusion-related acute lung injury.
It has also been noticed that people who have recovered from coronavirus are now selling their plasma for tens of thousands of rupees. Some labs are also been observed to have started the illegal business of plasma as it is believed that antibodies are formed in the blood of the Covid-19 victims and when they recover, these antibodies can cure other coronavirus patients.
Guidelines were provided to the public to inform that the intervention use of CP these days is still under observation in the country. According to the guidelines, “Individuals, who have fully recovered from Covid-19 are asymptomatic for at least two weeks and are willing to donate plasma, can contact helpline 1166 for guidance for nearby accredited plasma donation centers and hospitals offering CP to patients under approved protocols”.
NHS ministry on the other hand said “Till date no medicine has been invented which would be considered as a cure for the disease. Even plasma therapy is also in the phase of a clinical trial. People are advised in their best interest that they should not try to buy CP from private labs as according to rules plasma can only be donated”.
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