Covid-19 vaccine: Testing won’t happen in Africa. Never!- WHO DG

Covid-19 vaccine: Testing won’t happen in Africa. Never!- WHO DG

Saturday, April 11, 2020 12:37 pm


Tedros Ghebreyesus

For some time, the news went viral on social media that some scientists wanted new coronavirus vaccines tested in Africa before other members of the human race could use it. Not a few waved off this racist statement as fake news.

-Watch the video here

However, the statement by Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director General, World Health Organisation (WHO), saying that no new vaccine would be tested without following the necessary universal protocol, confirmed that some scientists actually made such racist proposal.

In a recent video, the DG said: “Africa cannot and will not be a testing ground for any vaccine. We will follow all the rules to test any vaccine and therapeutics using all the same rules whether in Europe, Africa or wherever, we will use the same protocol. And if there is any vaccine that needs to be tested, we will do the same thing equally.”

 

Below is his full statement:

On the vaccine issue, there was a comment last week that some couple of scientists said the testing ground for the new vaccine should be Africa. To be honest, I was so appalled! It was a time when I said we need solidarity, this kind of statement will not help that solidarity.

Africa cannot and will not be a testing ground for any vaccine. We will follow all the rules to test any vaccine and therapeutics using all the same rules whether in Europe, Africa or wherever, we will use the same protocol. And if there is any vaccine that needs to be tested, we will do the same thing equally.

This hangover from colonial mentality, has to stop. WHO will not allow this to happen. It is a disgrace, it is appalling to hear this kind of remark from scientists in the 21st century. We condemn this in the strongest possible terms. We assure you that this will not happen in Africa and it will not happen elsewhere in any country. Proper protocols will be followed. Human beings will be treated as human beings because we are all human beings.

 


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