We have a partial breakthrough in the logjam in Sierra Leone. I’ll get to that by telling you the details of someone who is a real hero in the saga.
Dr. Michael Morlai Kamara is one of the young doctors we trained in Sierra Leone on the Robins technique of intravenous gas ozone administration. He’s the one who has been kindly providing me regular updates on the situation there, including the story of the doctor recently infected, who is currently housed in the SL government’s ebola treatment unit at Hastings, about 20 miles from Freetown. After getting a copy of the informed consent from me by email, he got up early today, took a bus to Hastings. (Remember my story of getting there by private vehicle? I can only imagine the time and ordeal of a bus ride). Dr. Kamara approached the authorities at the center with his purpose, and was permitted entry into the containment unit to see the infected doctor! I am attaching photos of this brave young man before and after donning his “space suit” protective gear. Dr. Robins and I were standing by 24/7 after we heard the news, in order to be available for consulting after treatment commenced.
Dr. Kamara went to see the infected doctor and presented him with the story of ozone, the informed consent, and the opportunity to receive the therapy. The doctor was very grateful for the efforts of Dr. Kamara to go to these great lengths on his behalf. However, he respectfully declined the opportunity to receive ozone. The patient had received convalescent serum from a recovered victim the evening before and seemed to be doing ok, though having some disturbing symptoms.
Dr. Robins and I consider Dr. Kamara a hero for exposing and risking himself in the containment unit! And, the fact that he got through the authorities at the treatment center to carry his ozone therapy purpose to the infected doctor demonstrates the progress in Sierra Leone. Had the doctor agreed to receive therapy, it would have commenced! In a phone call with Dr. Carew last evening, it was clear that His Excellency, President Koroma, has had some positive intervention in the process. Please remember my report on how supportive this good man was to our purpose in Sierra Leone.
The infected doctor intelligently made his decision and is to be respected. The good news is that he was offered the treatment, and would have received it. It matters not to us that he respectfully declined since that is a matter of his own right and discretion. Perhaps he believes the convalescent serum will be enough. I do hope so for his sake. Convalescent serum is certainly a good approach as it contains the immune globulins from the recovered victim, which can neutralize the virus. However, it might not be too practical in the field and is somewhat costly to prepare.
So, I do think that we will see some movement in the near future with ozone therapy actually reaching an ebola patient. Please stay tuned. And I’ll have some more comments in the coming days about the end of my quarantine! (smile).
Regarding Dr. Kamara’s pictures, note the sweat on him in the third picture. That was after the “space suit” was removed and should give you an idea of the hard ordeal these heroes on the front line must endure in the hot conditions aggravated by the protective gear.