Topics Covered: Issues related to health.
ICMR against indiscriminate use of plasma therapy:
Context:
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has warned against indiscriminate use of convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) for treating COVID-19.
Why?
The ICMR has found that the therapy “did not lead to a reduction in progression to severe COVID or all-cause mortality in the group that received convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) as compared to the group that did not receive CPT”.
What Next?
- The CPT could be used with specific criteria, including that potential donors could give plasma after 14 days of symptom resolution (testing negative is not necessary).
- A potential recipient should be in the early stage of COVID-19 (three to seven days from the onset of symptoms, but not later than 10 days) and should have no IgG antibody against COVID-19 by appropriate test.
What is plasma therapy?
Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. Convalescent plasma, extracted from the blood of patients recovering from an infection, is a source of antibodies against the infection. The therapy involves using their plasma to help others recover.
- For Covid-19, this has been one of the treatment options. The donor would have to be a documented case of Covid-19 and healthy for 28 days since the last symptoms.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- Differences between vaccination and plasma therapy?
- What is passive immunisation?
- What are antibodies and antigens?
- First Nobel prize in medicine?
- Differences between blood donation and plasma donation.
Mains Link:
Discuss the significance of convalescent plasma therapy.
Sources: the Hindu.
