First Spaniard dies of Ebola

It has been confirmed by the Madrid’s health department that a 75-year-old Spanish priest, Miguel Pajares has died in Madrid’s Carlos III hospital from Ebola. The Spanish priest who was recently repatriated from Liberia, Africa last Thursday had been in isolation in Saint John of God hospital in the capital of Monrovia.

It is known that he contracted the Ebola virus from the Director of the Hospital after a visit. The director is also known to have died.

Miguel Pajares was being treated with an experimental drug ZMapp which is designed to fight the deadly virus, but failed to respond to the medication.

The drug ZMapp is a treatment that is made by a private US company and is still in intensely early stages and had previously been only tested on monkeys.

In a statement the health ministry said that the drug arrived to the hospital late on Saturday evening to treat the 75-year-old.

The drug ZMapp though in very early stages, was only allowed by the Spanish drug safety agency under “exceptional importation” to be used in the use of a non-authorised medication because of an incident where a patient’s life is in danger.

In Africa the medication has caused an ethical dispute because experts are asking for the drug to become available to the African nations.