by Kolapo Olapoju
Barely a week after declining to give Africa the experimental drug for Ebola, the United States government has reportedly agreed to give sample doses of the drug to Liberia.
The Liberian government revealed that sample doses of the drug, ZMapp will be sent to the country to treat doctors infected with the disease.
Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had made a request made on Friday, 8 August to American President, Barack Obama
The request was approved by the White House and the United States Food and Drug Administration. Zmapp is expected to be brought to the Liberia by a U.S. government representative sometime this week.
The Federal Government of Nigeria had earlier reached out to the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, in Atlanta, to request for the drug for treatment of EVD affected persons in Nigeria, but President Obama turned down the request, saying it would be far more beneficial to focus on prevention instead.
While addressing the 50 African leaders at the recently concluded US-African Summit in Washington DC, Obama said that it would be premature to share the experimental drug with Africa.
In the current outbreak, the virus is believed to have infected 1,848 people and killed 1,013, according to WHO’s latest figures.
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