Chief Mwanachingwala of Mazabuka has asked Microbicide Development Programme (MDP)’s management to stop any further clinical trials on the prevention of HIV/AIDs in the district as they are helping the situation.
The Chief said during a heated District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) co-chaired by District Commissioner, Tyson Hamaamba and Mayor, Shadreck Mwiinga that MDP should consider conducting the trials elsewhere and not in Mazabuka.
This was after the chief asked MDP officials to tell the meeting whether there is a microbicide that is currently effective to block the transmission of the virus on women.
The Chief said it was wrong for the MDP to continue conducting clinical trials when the drugs are not helping in blocking HIV transmission but increasing its incidence rate as the poor and illiterate women think the drugs would help in blocking the transmission of the virus.
A number of HIV/AIDS negative women volunteer became positive after being the MDP injected them with the microbicide believed to be potent against the virus.
The development has caused an up roar in sections of society with the traditional leader being in the lead against the campaign.
Meanwhile, various stakeholders took MDP to task to explain what mechanism have been put in place to compensate the women that contracted HIV and AIDs during the failed clinical trial.
The stakeholders observed that it would be unfair for the organisation abandon the victims without helping them.
But MDP Project Coordinator, Rose Kasonde said the organisation would not abandon the victims.
Dr Kasonde said all the victims would receive counselling services and would be refered to the government health centres offering Anti Retroviral Therapy.
ZANIS
I am shocked to even learn that these trials are still going on. There seems to be no rule of law or human rights protection in some poverty-stricken areas of the country.
Is Dr Kasonde Married? Is she one of the volunteers? Is she really Zambian? How do you expose your fellow human beings to a deadly disease like HIV/AIDS? How do you feel being involved in all these marriage breakages? Would she allow her husband to be sleeping around with other women in the name of finding a cure for HIV/AIDS- whether having protected or not protected sex? What about her daughters and sons, can she allow them? Is she that poor to be bought by the western lads who would love to see the black skinned man extinct? Where is the Government? Is it the one backing her and the group? Why is it quiet? Why should it just choose to sell its people this cheaply? God is watching you!!
crucify Rose Kaosnde and her minions.this is ridiculous!!!!:o:o:o:o:o
Dr. Kasonde must be arrested. You don´t carry out trials of medicine of humans. This is total rub.b.ish. Let Dr. Kasonde be charged of infecting these people willfully. This is evil of the worst I have ever heard. We have lost a lot of relatives to this Virus and already alot of people are suffering and how come someone can conduct her or his f.o.o.lish trials on people? Dont just refere the victims to Givernement Ant-Retral Viral Therapy Clinics but look after those people for the rest of there lives. This is fo.o.lish. How do you get married people and make them have se.x with someone else outside married in the name of conducting trials of HIV prevantion? Arrest all the culprits please.