WHO Condemns French Doctors For Idea Of Testing Coronavirus Vaccines In Africa

The World Health Organization condemned two French scientists Tuesday for the suggestion that Africa could be used as “testing grounds” for possible COVID-19 vaccines and assured that the continent would not be used in that capacity.

“It was a disgrace, appalling, to hear during the 21st Century, to hear from scientists, that kind of remark. We condemn this in the strongest terms possible, and we assure you that this will not happen,” Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a Monday media briefing in Geneva.

Ghebreyesus was reportedly angry “visibly” when asked about the statements that he described as “colonial mentality” of treating Africans like “human guinea pigs."

“Africa can't and won't be a testing ground for any vaccine.”

The idea of testing vaccines in Africa was floated by Dr. Jean-Paul Mira, the head of ICU at Paris’ Cochin Hospital, and Camille Locht, a research director at the France National Institute of Health and Medical Research. The pair appeared on French news station LCI to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and validity of the BCG tuberculosis vaccine as a treatment. During the discussion, Dr. Mira brought up the idea of testing the BCG vaccine in Africa because the lack of other treatments and ICUs make it an ideal testing ground.

“A bit like it is done for some studies on AIDS, where with prostitutes, we try things because we know that they are highly exposed and they don't protect themselves,” Mira said.

Locht echoed Mira’s statement and said the institute is considering testing in Africa.

“You are right,” Locht said. “And we are in the process of thinking about a study in Africa in parallel to carry out the same type of approach with BCG, a placebo…”

Ghebreyesus said he was appalled by the comments.

“It was a time when I said when we needed solidarity -- this kind of racist remarks actually would not help, it goes against the solidarity,” Ghebreyesus said.

Mira and Locht faced immediate backlash for their statements on social media, with many calling them racist. One of the first to push back was African-French civil rights group Esprit D'Ebene, who said these ideas should “never again be tolerated.”

Another prominent voice on Twitter against the idea was retired Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba.

Mira apologized on Friday in a statement released by Cochin Hospital.

"I want to apologize, ask those who have been struck, shocked, who have felt insulted by words that I have awkwardly said on LCI this week, apologize to them sincerely, because these words in no way reflect what I have been, what I have been doing on a daily basis, for 30 years now," Mira said.

The National Institute of Health and Medical Research initially defended Locht, saying the statement was taken out of context from a longer conversation on LCI.

However, these were later amended on Twitter: “Camille Locht understands the emotions caused since yesterday, linked to his lack of reaction to the proposals made by his interlocutor, on LCI television during a live show. The conditions that this interview were carried out in did not allow him to react correctly, he apologizes and noted that he did not utter any racist remarks.”