A ministry of health representative was on Monday ordered to leave a full council meeting in Mazabuka, for failing to provide answers to the failed Microbicide Gel research.
The councillors had demanded to be briefed on the outcome of the clinical trial.
But Environmental Health Technician, Mushabati Mushabati, failed to provide answers.
It was at this time that Mazabuka District Commissioner, Tyson Hamaamba, ordered him to leave the meeting.
However, after consultating his superiors, Mr. Mushabati informed the meeting that the ministry of health had instructed that no official statement should be issued until after a report on the matter has been scruitnised.
The Microbicide Gel drug was used by the MDP under its clinical trials to determine its efficacy in blocking HIV transmission.
According to MDP Principle Investigator, Dr. Maureen Chisembele, 46 women contracted HIV and AIDs virus after the research.
The district commissioner said he was particularly disappointed with the district director of health for failing to heed to his directives to produce MDP officials before the councillors
[ZNBC]
Very silly on how politician act after things have gone wrong…who allowed this research in the first place?Is it not the politicans throught the ministry of health in lusaka????The DDH is just a mior authority who can be overlooked…The problem in zambia is that anybody can practice medicine and government doesnt care what is done to its people.Poor policies aimed at violating the the poor pipo.The same research is still running in lusaka at kamwala clinic and ”experimental rats” are poor women from kalingalinga
Lusaka times. Stop changing headlines to stories we send you. You don’t pay for these stories and you just use them. So why change what we write? You are not journalists and therefore just make stories look childish. Please stop this nonsense before we remove your email from our mailing list. You have been warned
The virus has the properties of a skilled, devious, hidden and implacable invader with the capacity and willingness to kill every man, woman and child on earth. Dissemination of the virus is being actively encouraged by some who wish to destroy our society.
What we’ve come to believe about AIDS is what we’ve been conditioned to believe by the carefully
planned and sustained campaign of disinformation: that AIDS is a plague of nature; but not to worry, it
will spare most of us, if we behave ourselves.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that after eons of human life, nature suddenly, created the most deadly virus and unleashed it upon millions of Africans and Brazilians and Haitians and American
homos-e-x-uals and drug addicts, and a small, unfortunate number of white heteros-e-x-uals and innocent victims of tainted blood transfusions. We’ve been conditioned to believe that AIDS is, so to speak, an act of God.
But it isn’t. AIDS was not an accident of nature. Nature had nothing to do with AIDS. The virus is a
weapon of man against man. It is a weapon of war, deliberately created inside the top-secret U.S.
Chemical and Bacteriological Warfare laboratories.
This is rubbish coz its too late for such meetings,those poor women are now infected. I bet the govt will look after their families if anything happens to them.
Perhaps the most important point to make is that AIDS did not happen by accident any more than it did by nature. Nor is it the result of an insane plot by some deranged scientist or even a small team of deranged scientists. AIDS was the result of a decades-long research program carried out in Chemical and Bacteriological Warfare labs in the USA and others westrn countries. For those involved, it is a triumph of science and the answer to what they regard as the planet’s most pressing problem: population control.
Street Daddy hope the same thing thing u call rubish wont kill you at the end of the day, thank God that you and yo family are well , that has never died of that , will not die of that, bcause u act as if its not important to save the living , let every 1 day bcause you are safe n living well in europe. God bless yaa
The MOH and the government owe the nation a very big explanation in this criminal case. This may not be the first time that lives of innocent Zambians have been endangered in the name of scientific research. Tell the people the truth.
#2 you seem to have a problem…what is it?
If you recall, President Mwanawasa wanted MPS to have offices within their locality, but alas we still have a situation in our country where MPs spend more time Lusaka driving their newly acquired vehicles. It is astonishing that the current crop of politicians is more interested in the trappings of National Assembly than the people they represent. What has happened in Mazabuka or the blast that killed 53 miners in the Copperbelt can’t continue to be happening as though Zambia is a failed state. After years of complacency, it’s time to get serious.
Is it lack of knowledge or just plain old simple minds on this blog about clinical trials. This story is being blown out of proportion. Let me set the record straight: No one was injected with the HIV virus. Please stop embarrassing us on this international stage. High risk women went out slept with people who were infected and got the Virus. Yes the drug was being tried to see if it can protect such people and yes it did not protect them. These women should in the first place have learnt to close their legs and know that sex with strangers in this age with or without a condom is risky business. I know people who got the VIRUS despite using condoms. I know people who acknowledge that Condoms did burst. Even the condom has a disclaimer. Please stop this hypocrisy please
This is sad indeed and this is what poverty can do. Please government address the poverty in the country. Just a few kwachas our women risk their lives without even questionning about their own safety, sad! meanwhile others are still partying. SHAME!!!!!!!!
When I was in Lusaka, there used to be women prostitutes ploughing Addis Ababa road and some other streets near Fairview Hotel. I wonder if they still do it.
Could it be that these Gel tests were given to such women, who already faced the risk of HIV/AIDS due to teh profession they practice? If so, the Gel was to give them some protection, but it didnt work for them just as condoms dont work at times. Crucify condom makers?
What would be most terrible would be if these women were normal ladies who only went to indulge in se x after being given Gel, meaning they would not have gone out there to sleep around. If thsi was the case, then we must hang all those Gel peddlers, unless they women consented with full knowledge.
So, what exactly happned, given the above 2 scenarios? Anyone?
Sorry that it pays to do supid things all the time
These wemen were negative. After receiving the gel then they went indulging in sex as per the requierements of the Research. Research wanted women who could indulge in sex after apllying the gel. This was how the efficacy of the gel could be determined. Thats why the women recruited were poor and elliterate coz No educated person can go for such. THE RESULT IS THESE PENDING MUDDERS OF THE 46 POOR WOMEN.
Here is how the Economist reported this story:
http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15125189
#14 Kambongolo. Thanks for the info. This then is a very sad story of using poor people as guinea pigs. Something should be done to protect these vulnerable people.
It is very questionable that a statement cannot be released as a statement is avaliable on the MDP website. These trials where carried around Africa in some of the most poorest compounds in the Africa. The women were encouraged to use the gel although it is not specified who they were meant to engage into sexual acts with, a group of postive men? In addition they were given free basic health care as a ‘thank you’ for taking part in the year long trial. Figures as usual are been divided as hundreds contracted HIV. The ‘thank you’ gesture alone tells you of the education and litrate level of the trial victims. Who in there right mind would take part in such a risky trial for free BASIC health care? Please lets not all wait for ‘someone’ to do something, this affects all of us directly…
and indirectly. We can all do something to bring these people to justice. This inhumane, there are groups that protest against animal testing why should we let this happen in africa-are we less than animals because we are black and african? Am doing something about, sure as hell wont just let this pass and let people sweep it under a rug after bribes. Even during slave trade, its the africans that used to go catch fellow africans for the slave masters all in exchange for a few mirriors!
Its not right, am so cross. Cant believe this is happening today. Bloggers why not visit the MDP website and press the senior person Roger, for answers, his contacts are all on the site, mdpDOTmcrDOTacDOTuk This time heads will roll, tired of this shit!
# 2 ZANIS – what investigations have you come up with regarding these women’s legal position and how they can go about commencing a class action suit?
#17 Sharp I’ve been to their website but there’s not even a discussion forum there. And I’m not sure if this Dr. Roger would even respond to our mails, he’s probably enjoying his festive season right now and laughing at the vulnerability of poor Africans /Zambians.
IMO the government messed up and they’re the ones to blame on this one. In every country, citizens are protected by their governments and shielded from such subhuman trials. Surely, the government knew that these women were not as intelligent so the whole project was a bike-throwing act intended to knock them over.
#10 MDP Bootlicker why then, after realizing that the people are less happy about the whole thing do these pharmacists decides to suddenly keep quiet? Why did they not conduct these trials on British…
I said it and I will say it again, people should learn to read the fine print. I know these researches target the most vulnerable but people also need to look at the “what if’s” before taking such a huge step especially if it involves your life.
There will be a radio programme on Radio Maszabuka on monday that will answer all your questions and correct all the nonsense that has been written so far.
Please note that the MP for Mazabuka also went on radio and refuted the many innacuracies reported about the trial, mainly by one person who present himself as a journalist.
A statement was also published in the press last friday. It is important for people to be very careful with what is written by non-professional journalists and bloggers.
It is sad that the clinical trial ended up with infected people when it was supposed to reduce the spread of the virus.One has to remember,however,that it is through such studies that we have drugs such as penicillin,polio vaccines and many more.People had to consent to take these drugs before they could be offered to the public as a treatment.
Rather than condemn the study,we should endeavour to find out if this gel had satisfied the recommended 3 steps before the study was launched in Zambia.I doubt very much if anyone in the MOH took time to counter-check that knowing the MOH and its work ethoes.
Also,I want to inform those in charge in Mazabuka that they remind the company that sponsors the trial of its responsibility to provide free life treatment to the affected women.