COVID–19 CURE: DR XOLANI’S DAD HOPEFU

MBABANE – “The world needs a breakthrough against this virus and I hope my son can contribute to finding it.”

These were the words of Boy Mdluli, the Deputy Chief Officer in the King’s Office, in reaction to reports that his firstborn son, Dr Xolani Mdluli, who is based in the United States of America, is currently involved in trials to find a treatment for COVID-19 at the Desert Regional Medical Centre in California with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Celebration

More than 2.5 million have been infected by the virus across the globe which has claimed the lives of over 200 000. Mdluli said he was proud that his son had joined the fight to save lives. He last enjoyed a moment with his son in August last year, when the doctor and his siblings hosted a 60th birthday celebration for their father. Dr Xolani’s mother is late and there is no doubt she would have been proud to see her son undertake this groundbreaking task.

The humble father said if the trials succeeded, it would not just make the family proud, but an honour for the Kingdom of Eswatini on the world map.“I am very happy to see him taking up such a huge responsibility and I wish to thank him for making the effort towards finding a solution to a crisis that is causing so much distress to the world population.

I wish him all the best of luck and success in this endeavour,” he said.  The trials that Dr Xolani is undertaking involve receiving plasma donation from fully recovered coronavirus patients. “It’s just like getting a blood transfusion,” Dr Xolani told News Channel 3. He explained that you had to ensure the donated plasma was compatible with the recipient patient’s blood type.

Infection

“Let’s say somebody gets an infection, the immune system will form antibodies which will help fight off the infection. After the infection is gone, those antibodies remain in your body,” he said. It is these antibodies that are passed on to COVID-19 patients with the hope that they could speed up the process and start killing the virus a little bit faster. “What this means is that then you will be able to recover from the infection a little bit sooner,” he said.

The centre was reported to be among the first three hospitals to receive plasma from a blood bank and Dr Xolani said they were able to give it to two patients who were said to have made improvements. He said the method isn’t yet foolproof but if successful, more plasma donations would be widely used.

“These days nothing is guaranteed until it is guaranteed and that is why we are having all these trials done and then see what works and what does not work,” he told the TV station. It is said specific criteria would be used prior to plasma donation. Possible donors would be screened for age, weight and medical history.

The humble father said his son had alerted him of his exploits and was looking forward to positive results.
Dr Xolani boasts 16 years of diverse experience and specialises in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases.

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