The 7th science and technology experience exchange program in Islamic countries, known as STEP, is started.

The first meeting of STEP, known as exchange of experiences and observations of the treatment force in Islamic countries, hosted some researchers and physicians who presented lectures and scientific lectures on COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the public relations and information center of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, the lecturers of the event shared their views on COVID-19 as the first part of this large scientific conference in the Islamic world.

Exchange of Islamic World Scientists’ Opinions about Corona Disease

Rasoul Dinarvand, the head of the 7^th STEP and a board member of Mustafa Prize, pointed out the history of the formation of the event, asserting: today, we will witness 12 presentations from different countries, such as China, Pakistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bangladesh.

After that, Abdolmajid Cheraghchi, the head of the pharmacy school of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, talked about the treatment of corona using the plasma of improved patients as the first lecture of the event, expressing: the virus posed a global challenge to the population and engaged the treatment force due to the lack of a specific drug to treat the disease. All the scientists tried their best to find the best treatment, and one of them was the treatment with the plasma of improved patients.

Cheraghali added: this method is not new and has been used in the treatment of other diseases, especially in the treatment of infectious diseases, even during the Spanish flu period of the twentieth century and the H1N1 and MERS and SARS.

The head of the pharmacy school of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences mentioned: we can treat patients by injecting plasma antibodies, especially in the early stages of the disease.

Pointing out the publication of scientific articles on the treatment of infectious diseases using plasma, he affirmed: the plasma of recovered individuals has a good advantage because it takes a long time to produce a drug or a vaccine for emerging diseases. However, we have the plasma of the recovered people, and we can use it quickly in the treatment of patients. This method is also cost-effective.

During the meeting, Iranian experts of infectious diseases and university professors along with scientists from India, Turkey, Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Azerbaijan shared their experiences of treating the disease.

So far, various centers in the Islamic world, including Iranian universities, have hosted three courses, the University Putra Malaysia (second term), Sultan Qaboos University in Oman (fourth term) and Karachi University in Pakistan (fifth term), have hosted STEP meetings.

At the meeting, which was held on the topic of exchanging experiences in solving the challenge of Corona disease, after each presentation, the speakers answered the questions of the audience.