TO BE VACCINATED OR NOT, A RESPONSE IN SUPPORT OF DR TAM

I WISH i could have a chat with Dr Nevers Mumba ober this. I have also noticed that most politicians lack the advise from medical professionals.

First of all, Dr Mumba is right to question “what is in the food” being given. We all ought to.

But he makes certain assertions that are not correct historically and medically!

1. CDC/ WHO was formed many years after the Tuskegee syphilis study started. Its the establishment of these institutions especially the World Medical Association that led to the development of guidelines for research (Helsinki declaration of 1965) This led to the discovery of the unethical practices in the Tuskege research! So we can not question the integrity of an institution before it was formed! How?

2. Capacity to analyse safety of the vaccine.

While Dr TAM said we dont have the capacity, i stand to state that we do. Unfortunately, the only scientifically accepted method to assertain both safety and effictiveness of a vaccine or purported intervention (drug) is by a clinical trial. We have done a number of.clinical trials in Zambia before and we have scientist with capacity to conduct a clinical trial. But the question is, what is a clinical trial? Briefly,

its the recruiting of healthy/ sick individuals to receive a new intervention (new drug or experiment drug) and comparing them to another group of people receiving a placebo! Yes!

Asking healthy Zambians to volunteer to be innoculated with a substance yet to be known or known from studies in other countries.

By show of hands, how many Zambians here on this group would do such a honourable thing.....to voluneteer and be used as a guinue pig? Almost impossible.

If today, in the 21st century, its is difficult to convince a Zambian to get a lumbar puncture what more to volunteer for an experimental drug/ vaccine? Lets face it, we are suscipcious population we can even trust our drs to do a lumbar puncture!

All these drugs we get, including ARVs are tested on other populations, people with a different genetic makeup from ours. We only bring them after other countries have tested them on their people. So whats so different about this covid vaccine?

Now lets say that we get Zambians to volunteer for the vaccine. This means that we have to do a double blind clinical trial. This would not pass any international regulation as it would be deemed unethical by the declaration of Helsinki (mentioned above) to give a placebo to people during an epidemic when the vaccine we are using has already been shown to be safe and effectibe elsewhere! Any scientist who would participate in such, would be banned for life! I wouldnt dare!

The best time to have asked for safety studies in Zambia was last year when the vaccine was undergoing phase 2 trials. Again, how many Zambians here would have accepted to be guinue pigs? I leave that to you! 3. Side effects.

Zambians will be told the side effects of the vaccine based on what the study populations (mostly Americans and Europeans) experienced. I can tell you that the most feared is allergic reactions that can rarely lead to anaphylaxis and again in rare circumstances death of the person if not in a hospital. I can also tell you that there are more allergic conditions in Europeans than there are in Africans.

The only time we shall know what side effects Zambians will have is when they start recieving it! We cant know if they will be the same or different without giving it to Zambians. Medicine is empirical not psychical!

I will pass 4 and 5 for now. So, this is not 1932 but 2021! Zambians should know that science has advanced that a bogus or unethical research will be detected even before the research starts. Even if such went undetected, still with time justice will be done once discovered (the case of the Tuskegee experiement).

Let me remind Zambians that we have protected the country before.

1. Hydroxychloroquine hype! We refused to accept it based on the analysis of the research as information became available.

This was despite the social media frenzy.

2. Covid organics from Madagascar.

Despite the political pressure from the AU for.Zambia to get the drug, Our scientists protected the country from a bogus cure. If you are doubting, how many cases are in Madagascar, how many deaths despite their concoction?

In conclusion, yes Zambians have the right to question and answers will be provided as we have here.