Biolife Donates WoundSeal To Help Contain Ebola In West Africa

SARASOTA, Fla. - Sept. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- SARASOTA, Fla. – September 22, 2014 – Answering the call from President Barack Obama to have the U.S. lead the Ebola fight in West Africa, and as part of its mission to provide aid to those who need it most, Biolife is donating 5,000 WoundSeal applications to health workers treating Ebola victims in West Africa.

Additionally, the company has set a goal to donate 80,000 additional applications to charity through a retail promotion where one retail purchase equals four additional applications donated.

The Ebola epidemic has killed more than 2,400 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone this year. The virus, which can cause unstoppable bleeding and shut down organs, is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with a sick person's blood or body fluid. With open wounds, the virus is easily spread from one to another. Since they do not immediately stop or seal a bleeding wound, bandages and gauze are not sufficient to contain the virus.

For this reason, Biolife is donating WoundSeal to Matthew 25: Ministries, an organization currently assisting those in need in South Africa. Stopping bleeding is one of the keys to containing the Ebola virus and WoundSeal is the only proven first aid product that stops bleeding instantly through the creation of a protective, durable scab. With bleeding contained at the source, health care workers can address other conditions to help contain the virus and keep people healthy.

“The war against the spread of Ebola requires an all-out effort to contain the disease at its source,” states Louis M. Guzzi, MD, a leading critical care physician in Orlando. “In countries where injury commonly occurs, having an agent available such as WoundSeal can stop bleeding instantly in the field, seal and protect the wound and help prevent re-bleeds through a durable scab that won’t fall off like bandages often do.

“Therefore, WoundSeal will decrease the risk of exposure to contagion for health workers, family and the populace. This is just one of many measures that need to be taken to help staunch the spread of this deadly disease.”

How WoundSeal Works

While bandages, gauze and hemostatic agents, such as styptic pencils, have been on the market to provide first aid for minor external wounds, WoundSeal is the only product that can treat a broad range of bleeding. Here is how it works:

•          With blood present, the caregiver or victim pours the topical powder - comprised of a hydrophilic polymer and potassium ferrate – onto the wound and applies light pressure. Powder + Pressure = Instant Scab.

•          The powder interacts with the wound’s blood to form a protective scab in seconds. Note: the powder works independently of the body’s blood-clotting cascade to stop bleeding without entering the blood stream.

•          The instant scab protects the wound and is waterproof. It falls off naturally as the wound heals.

Through WoundSeal’s breakthrough technology, treating a bleeding wound is reduced from a number of steps and products to one easy-to-use application that reduces actual bleeding time from minutes, hours or even days (as with senior citizens) to just seconds.

Biolife Asks For Your Help To Give More

“Biolife provides product to those less fortunate or who have suffered through disasters where fast and effortless wound care is paramount,” states Andrew McFall, vice president, Biolife. “We are proud to answer the call the President made through our donation. While we’re initially sending 5,000 applications to help 5,000 patients, we want to do so much more since this will be an ongoing health issue that could impact thousands.

“That’s why we’ve set a goal to send 80,000 more applications to South Africa and wherever the Ebola virus spreads. Through October 30, for every one package of WoundSeal we sell at our retail partners and online at www.woundseal.com, we’ll donate four additional applications to charities serving those in need. Helping people is why we are in business and we hope Americans will join us to help those in need in South Africa.”

McFall adds that the ongoing donation total – four applications donated for every one package sold – is part of honoring World First Aid Day (September 14). People interested in helping Biolife send more product to those in need in West Africa can buy WoundSeal online at www.woundseal.com or at leading retailers such as Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and others.

The donation by Biolife is another example of the company keeping to its mission and vision. Previously, the company has donated product to organizations providing aid in Central and South America, East Africa, Haiti, India, and Nicaragua.

About Biolife, LLC

Biolife, L.L.C. is a privately-owned company that manufactures and distributes a patented topical powder that stops bleeding and forms a seal over an external bleeding wound or an access site.  Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, Biolife's powder products are sold to leading hospitals, occupational workplaces, professional sports teams, and consumers across the country. The company's mission is to develop and market products that improve the consumer's quality of life. For more detailed information on Biolife, LLC please call toll free 1-800-722-7559 or visit www.biolife.com.

About Matthew 25: Ministries

Matthew 25: Ministries rescues and reuses approximately 14,000,000 pounds of corporate discontinues, misprints, overruns, off-spec, slightly damaged, returned and past season products each year and redistributes them to people in desperate need throughout the US and worldwide. Each year, Matthew 25: Ministries impacts the lives of more than 15,000,000 individuals throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.m25m.org.