Amidst the fearsome nature of the Ebola virus that has recently shaken up the planet, a new hope arises in the technology of vaccines that is believed to save humanity from Africa’s common cold. ZMapp, an antibiotic vaccine developed in the early 2000s is said to be the best bet the planet has, so far, to help treat Ebola patients.

Though criticized by many, ZMapp has been proven to be effective in several fields of testing. For example, 100% of tests with ZMapp on monkeys have come back with good results, giving the ZMapp researchers a bit of wall to rest their backs on. U.S officials have asked three research labs to develop more of the pharmaceutical drug.

The controversy behind is its delivery. Though, Africa is where the majority of Ebola cases lye, why is it that ZMapp has only been applied to Ebola patients in the U.S and Europe?

Doctor Salim Abdul Karim, head of HIV research in South Africa, claims that this is so because if it were used in Africa first, the world headlines would read “African Ebola patients used as Guinea Pigs for Americas experimental drug.” ZMapp did not reach Africa until mid-August.

ZMapp undergoes the same process as any other vaccine would. The acclaimed virus is injected in its weaker state of being into an organism, the organism defeats the weakened disease and produces an antigen to help prevent infection again. The donor organism in this situation is a tobacco plant.

When asked whether this was the answer to the Ebola crisis, proposer of ZMapp Charles Arntzen responds,

“ZMapp is one component. We need vaccines against Ebola. There’s a lot of testing of new vaccines under way right now. They’ve shown success in monkeys but we know from vaccine work [that] what you see in a monkey doesn’t necessarily always work in people. There [are] antiviral drugs that are being tested. Again, are they going to work? We can be hopeful but at the present time, I’d say the only certainty that we have is ZMapp.”

            FSA Connection Questions:

1. What is the connotation of the word “criticized” in the article?
2. What two statements best summarize the article?
3. What is the author’s stance on the article?
4. Is ZMapp the only solution to the Ebola crisis? Explain.
5. Do you think ZMapp should have been sent to Africa sooner? Support your claim.