Browsing by Author "Yakubu, Aminu"

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    Black market blood transfusions for Ebola
    (plos one, 2014) Folayan, Morenike O; Brown, Brandon; Yakubu, Aminu
    Poor health systems and structures in countries affected by Ebola virus disease (EVD) have compounded difficulties in access to hospital care for Ebola patients. With this low healthcare access, individuals may be forced to seek alternative remedies for the management of EVD. One major study suggested that the transfusion of whole blood and serum from patients who had recovered from EVD reduces the risk of EVD-related fatality (Citation1), with additional rigorous studies underway including patients in the current epidemic in West Africa (Citation2–Citation4) .
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    Ebola vaccine development plan: ethics, concerns and proposed measures.
    (BioMed Central, 2016-02-08T00:00:00Z) Folayan, Morenike Oluwatoyin; Yakubu, Aminu; Haire, Bridget; Peterson, Kristin
    The global interest in developing therapies for Ebola infection management and its prevention is laudable. However the plan to conduct an emergency immunization program specifically for healthcare workers using experimental vaccines raises some ethical concerns. This paper shares perspectives on these concerns and suggests how some of them may best be addressed. The recruitment of healthcare workers for Ebola vaccine research has challenges. It could result in coercion of initially dissenting healthcare workers to assist in the management of EVD infected persons due to mistaken beliefs that the vaccine offers protection. It could also affect equity and justice. For example, where people who are not skilled health care professionals but who provide care to patients infected with Ebola (such as in home care settings) are not prioritized for vaccination. The possibility of study participants contracting Ebola infection despite the use of experimental vaccine, and the standard of care they would receive, needs to be addressed clearly, transparently and formalized as part of the ethics review process. Future access to study products in view of current status of the TRIPS agreement needs to be addressed. Finally, broad stakeholder engagement at local, regional and international levels needs to be promoted using available communication channels to engage local, regional and international support. These same concerns are applicable for current and future epidemics. Successful Ebola vaccine development research requires concerted efforts at public dialogue to address misconceptions, equity and justice in participant selection, and honest discussions about risks, benefits and future access. A public dialogue about Ebola vaccine research plans is crucial and should be conducted by trusted locals and negotiated between communities, researchers and ethics committees in research study sites.
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    Stakeholders' engagement with Ebola therapy research in resource limited settings.
    (BMC Infectious Diseases., 2015-06-26T00:00:00Z) Folayan, Morenike Oluwatoyin; Brown, Brandon; Haire, Bridget; Yakubu, Aminu; Peterson, Kristin; Tegli, Jemee
    The current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa is the largest in history. As of February 18(th) 2015, 23,258 cases of EVD have been cumulatively reported from Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America resulting in more than 9,000 deaths. It is therefore exigent to develop prevention and treatment therapies for EVD.
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    Stakeholders' engagement with Ebola therapy research in resource limited settings.
    (BMC Infectious Diseases, 2015-06-26T00:00:00Z) Folayan, Morenike Oluwatoyin; Brown, Brandon; Haire, Bridget; Yakubu, Aminu; Peterson, Kristin; Tegli, Jemee
    The current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa is the largest in history. As of February 18(th) 2015, 23,258 cases of EVD have been cumulatively reported from Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America resulting in more than 9,000 deaths. It is therefore exigent to develop prevention and treatment therapies for EVD.