Convalescent Plasma Therapy For COVID-19 Sufferers

Recently, researchers and health professionals has been using a therapy or treatment to treat COVID-19 sufferers called Convalescent Plasma Therapy.

The therapy is using the blood of those who have recovered from COVID-19 to treat those who are still fighting against COVID-19. That part of that blood is called “Plasma”.

“Plasma” has antibodies that can fight and kill pathogens like virus.

The administration is through blood transfusion from the blood donated or given by those who have recovered from COVID-19. Thus called “Convalescent Plasma” or “Plasma” from those who have recovered.

“ This method has a simple premise. The blood of people who have recovered from an infection contains antibodies. Antibodies are molecules that have learned to recognize and fight the pathogens, such as viruses, that have caused disease. Doctors can separate plasma, one of the blood components that contain such antibodies, and administer it to people whose bodies are currently fighting an infectious disease. This can help their immune systems reject the pathogen more efficiently.” (Medical News Today)

“Convalescent Plasma Therapy is a kind of passive immunization that involves giving the plasma of a recovered patient to infected patients to boost their immune system and help their bodies fight the disease. Plasma is the part of the blood that remains when red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and other cellular components are removed. It contains water, salts, enzymes, antibodies and other proteins.” (Rappler)

Convalescent Plasma Therapy is also called Passive Antibody Therapy and it is long been use as treatment or therapy since.

“This notion was first introduced in the late 19^th century when physiologist Emil von Behring and bacteriologist Kitasato Shibasaburou discovered that they could use antibodies present in serum – another blood component – to fight the bacterial infection diptheria. Since then, doctors have used passive antibody therapy, on and off, at least since 1930s to treat or prevent both bacterial and viral infection, including forms of pneumonia, meningitis, and measles.” (Medical News Today)

PLASMA (image from wikipedia)

PLASMA Donation ( image from Rappler website)