Africa’s football stars Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto have led the continent’s the outrage against 2 French research scientists.
The France-based scientists, Professors Jean-Paul Mira of Cochin Hospital, Paris and Camille Locht of France’s national medical research centre, INSERM were debating possible cures for covid-19 on French Television’s La Chaine Info on Thursday.
Mira said, in the course of the show about possible testing ground for the yet-to-be approved cure for the disease, “If I may be provocative, should this study not be done in Africa ?”
Locht responded that “You’re right. We are currently thinking similarly about a study in Africa regarding the the BCG vaccine.
There is a proposal that has gone out – or will go out. We will seriously consider it,” Enraged, Droba responded on his Twitter handle, @DidierDrogba that,
“it is totally inconceivable we keep on cautioning this, Africa is not a testing lab.
“Do not take Africans as human guinea pigs. It is absolutely disgusting.
“I would like to vividly denounce those demeaning, false and most of all deeply racist words. It helps us save Africa with the current ongoing covid-19 and flatten the curve.
Both Africa’s leading football stars, Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o enjoined African leaders to be deliberate in offering protection for they citizens against such threats. Africans and indeed Europeans have risen to condemn the plans of the research scientists.
Some of the reactions:
Sadly, INSERM defended the comments of the scientists saying it was “the subject of errors interpretation.”
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