Ghanaians to Beware of the Governmental “Ebola Vaccine Trials”

Ghanaians are to be wary of the regional or nationwide government-sanctioned "Ebola Vaccine trials" on the citizenry. It is said, "Don't fix it if it is not broken".

I can hardly understand the wisdom of President John Dramani Mahama and his NDC government in accepting the World Health Organization's request to them to have almost all Ghanaians subject themselves to Ebola vaccine trials. What is the sense in his action?

All that I know from my acquaintances with some former South African work-colleagues is that one should voluntarily submit themselves to clinical trials of new vaccines, drugs etc. Nobody is forced to do it. Again, it is never done on such a large scale pilot scheme as it is currently the view of President Mahama.

Volunteers for drug or vaccine trials do sign agreements, take some money and are cured by the hospitals or the owners/manufacturers of the new products if things went haywire, but do not result in their deaths. Will same be the case with the Ebola vaccine trials?

What is GH¢200 plus a mobile phone that is given to volunteers who subject themselves for the trial? Whereas some volunteers in other countries will not take less than US$2,000 or £1,000 per a single trial, in Ghana volunteers are being offered £40 (GH¢200) plus a cheap or substandard mobile (cell) phone likely to be of Chinese-made.

Will the volunteers be allowed to sign any undertaken to be treated should the trial prove disastrous on their person? Whatever the case, it should not be on such a national broad base as it is the objective of President Mahama and his myopic NDC government. It should be limited to no more than 5,000 people with the circumstances of its acceptance and aftermath explained to them.

I hope Ghanaians' crazy infatuation with mobile phones and money will not push them into being baited with the announced, but insignificant, offer as stated above.

Will Ghana be able to cope with any illnesses that will emanate from the trials should all go against expectation? Do we have the knowhow to deal with it?

From conspiracy theories, is the Ebola virus not the product of a laboratory experiment of some sort gone wrong? Has the virus not accidentally escaped from a laboratory or intentionally released into the air of some environment to cause some planned havoc? Is it not probably aimed at achieving some purpose of birth or population control as Africans produce children and multiply in population like sorry to say, rabbits or pigs?

As long as we are unable to cater for ourselves as Africans or Ghanaians, but always look up to the Whiteman for assistance in everything, I am sorry to say, "we aint seen nothing yet" (we haven't seen anything yet). Worse things than Ebola may be encountered.

I disagree with the Ebola vaccine trial assuming a regional or national level. They can try them on those countries that suffered the devastating affect of the virus.

I do not care what the Chairman of the Global Vaccine Safety Initiative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Professor Alex Dodoo thinks as read on Ghanaweb under the web link http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=362064. He must first subject himself and then his family to the trial before anyone else follows his example.

He who wants to become the first guinea pig should please go for it and he or she shall be given GH¢200 and a substandard mobile phone. What is GH¢200 and a mobile phone to contrarily having a good health? Be poor and healthy than being a GH¢200 and a mobile phone richer, but of poor health brought upon yourself out of sheer stupidity.

Rockson Adofo