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Coronavirus: Why Africans should take part in vaccine trials

A generic photo of a masked nurse holding up a vaccineImage copyright
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There have been numerous scare stories about trials for a coronavirus vaccine being carried out on people in Africa.

However, scientists say that it is vital that Africans take part in these trials, arguing it could jeopardise efforts to find a vaccine that works worldwide – and not just for richer nations.

In March, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced a global “solidarity trial” looking at finding promising treatments for Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus.

As there are no known cures yet, an effective vaccine would play a critical role in preventing and controlling the pandemic, the WHO says.

It would train people’s immune systems to fight the virus stopping them becoming sick.

How vaccines work:

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Media captionCoronavirus: What is a vaccine and how is one made?

  • They help develop immunity by imitating infections
  • This helps the body’s defences to recognise them and learn how to fight them
  • If the body is then ever exposed for real, it already knows what to do
  • A vaccine would normally take years, if not decades, to develop
  • A Covid-19 vaccine would allow lockdowns to be lifted more safely and for social distancing to be relaxed

Read: How close are we to finding a Covid-19 vaccine?

So far one vaccine trial has begun in South Africa – and one is one waiting approval in Kenya.

Yet the issue has been plagued by controversy.

And while vocal opposition to vaccinations of any kind is not new, the current debate in Africa centres on a race row.

‘Colonial mentality’

It was sparked by two French doctors discussing a trial in Europe and Australia looking into whether a tuberculosis vaccine would prove effective against coronavirus.

During the TV debate, they both agreed it should be tested in Africa too, one saying: “If I can be provocative, shouldn’t we be doing this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatments, no resuscitation?

The tone of the comments caused a backlash.

“It was a disgrace, appalling, to hear during the 21st Century, to hear from scientists that kind of remark,” said Dr Tedros, who is Ethiopian.

“We condemn this in the strongest terms possible, and we assure you that this will not happen. The hangover from a colonial mentality has to stop.”

Didier Drogba in 2018

AFP

Do not take African people as human guinea pigs! It’s absolutely disgusting”

Unsurprisingly prominent African personalities added their voice to the outrage, including former footballers Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o – both of whom have been victims of racial abuse on and off the pitch during their careers in Europe.

“Do not take African people as human guinea pigs! It’s absolutely disgusting,” Drogba tweeted.

Such anger is well founded as it has been documented that racism and economic discrimination exist in healthcare.

There is evidence that pharmaceutical companies have carried out trials in parts of Africa, with little regard to ethics or even simple respect for human life.

Compensation pay-out

An infamous drug trial was carried out by Pfizer in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano in 1996.

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AFP

Image caption

Dozens of children were left disabled after Pfizer’s drug trial in Kano

A long legal battle ensued leading to the pharmaceutical giant paying compensation to some parents whose children took part in the trial during a meningitis outbreak.

Eleven children died and dozens were left disabled after being given an experimental antibiotic.

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