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 from becoming sick.
- How vaccines work
- ‘Colonial mentality’
- Compensation pay-out
- ‘Infodemic’
- Decades of underfunding
- Africa risks getting ‘locked out’
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