African's are be used as Guinea Pigs for AIDS treatment

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In summary: I think it was something like 38% of new cases of AIDS are in Africa. The article doesn't say how many people have died from AIDS as a result of the drugs, but it's clearly a lot more than a handful.In summary, the article discusses how Jesse Jackson, a former civil rights activist and politician, has become less effective in recent years due to his lack of focus and his poor track record with affairs of the heart. The article also states that the majority of new cases of AIDS are found in Africa, and that the AIDS drugs distributed in that continent may have caused more harm than good.
  • #1
Shahil
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This plain shocked me! -->This, I think, has got more to do with Politics than it does with Medicine, Bio etc<---

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Aids_Focus/0,,2-7-659_1637381,00.html

http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2004/at50.htm#art1

African's are be used as Guinea Pigs for AIDS treatment. Uh...
 
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  • #2
hmm I thought that the problem was procedural not that the drug was proven unsafe..or that there was even doubt about their safety? In fact AIDS humanitarian groups were concerned about the misleading reports influencing people to stop take the drug.
 
  • #3
He likened the drug's distribution in Africa to the US government's 40-year syphilis experiment using poor blacks in Tuskegee, Alabama, after World War II.

That man needs a huge lesson in history.
 
  • #4
How so Locrian?
 
  • #5
Locrian said:
That man needs a huge lesson in history.
That article really is shocking - Jesse Jackson used to be a legitimate civil rights spokesperson and politician. Now he just seems like a Christian Louis Farakkhan (sp?).
 
  • #6
russ_watters said:
That article really is shocking - Jesse Jackson used to be a legitimate civil rights spokesperson and politician. Now he just seems like a Christian Louis Farakkhan (sp?).

Not quite Farrakhan, but a lot more like Al Sharpton. For about five years now Jackson has been floundering, looking for a role; the Clinton administration totally marginalized him, and went about welfare modernisation without consulting him at all. And the Daley administration in his native Chicago has learned they don't have to pay any attention to him in order to carry the black wards. So he has been left to carry out one ill-conceived stunt after another to try to get back in the public eye.
 
  • #7
selfAdjoint said:
Not quite Farrakhan, but a lot more like Al Sharpton.
Ya know, I actually like Al Sharpton. He's for real. Ask him a question and he won't throw some meaningless rhetoric back at you - he'll tell you what he really thinks. That's not to say I like his opinions, but I got to respect a guy who talks straight.

Re: Jackson, I think the beginning of the end was with that infidelity thing. Its ironic that Clinton administration marginalized him, but it certainly wouldn't have helped Clinton to embrace him.
 
  • #8
russ_watters said:
Ya know, I actually like Al Sharpton. He's for real. Ask him a question and he won't throw some meaningless rhetoric back at you - he'll tell you what he really thinks. That's not to say I like his opinions, but I got to respect a guy who talks straight.

Re: Jackson, I think the beginning of the end was with that infidelity thing. Its ironic that Clinton administration marginalized him, but it certainly wouldn't have helped Clinton to embrace him.

I agree. I wouldn't have voted for Sharpton, but he didn't pretend to be a winning candidate either. He is entertaining and there's a place for a person who calls BS in an election now a days. The media won't do it - they won't be invited back for the next press conference.

Jackson's problem is that he is a one issue person who tries to pretend he's a full service candidate.
 
  • #9
BobG said:
Jackson's problem is that he is a one issue person who tries to pretend he's a full service candidate.
I'll agree with that as well and expand it: the problem with most black politicians is that they are black politicians. Their politics and popular support is based on the race issue exclusively. And I don't know if that's a sad commentary on the candidates or their constituency or both. Worse though, is what the party does to them: Obama made a great speech and he really does appear to be the real deal, but the Democratic party won't ever allow him onto that stage for the main event.
 
  • #10
Smurf said:
How so Locrian?

Because there can be no comparison between AIDS drugs in africa and the Tuskegee experiment. Any similarities are insubstantial. Since no one - including Jackson - has tried to make a case for why they are comparible, I'm lost on even where to start on how they are different.

Africans aren't African Americans. Refusing care isn't the same as giving drugs that may help but have a some chance of negative consequences. A government forcing its own citizens to bear hideous diseases isn't the same as a government sending drugs that might work (but may not) to another country that asked for them. A conspiracy by a government to harm its own citizens is not the same as the conspiracy by a corporation to sell drugs that may help but also may harm. It isn't that I find the AIDS drugs issue and africa to be in good standing, its that I find comparing it to Tuskegee experiment to not clarify, but instead muddle and incite.

The number of inconsistencies with that concept is staggering; in fact, the only comparison I can find between the two is that it involves STD's and people with dark skin. Jackson is being rediculous.
 

Related to African's are be used as Guinea Pigs for AIDS treatment

1. What is the history behind Africans being used as guinea pigs for AIDS treatment?

The history of using Africans as guinea pigs for AIDS treatment dates back to the early days of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. At the time, there was a widespread belief that AIDS was primarily a disease of gay men and drug users, and therefore, little attention was given to finding a treatment. However, in the late 1980s, pharmaceutical companies saw an opportunity to test their experimental drugs on Africans, who were already suffering from high rates of HIV/AIDS and had limited access to treatment.

2. Is it ethical to use Africans as guinea pigs for AIDS treatment?

The use of Africans as guinea pigs for AIDS treatment has been widely condemned as unethical by various human rights organizations and medical professionals. It is a clear violation of the principles of informed consent and the right to health. Additionally, many argue that it perpetuates the notion of Africans as "guinea pigs" for medical experimentation and reinforces colonial power dynamics.

3. Have any successful treatments for AIDS been discovered through these experiments on Africans?

No, there is no evidence to suggest that any successful treatments for AIDS have been discovered through these experiments on Africans. In fact, many of the experimental drugs tested on Africans have been found to be ineffective or even harmful. It is important to note that there are strict regulations and protocols in place for conducting medical research, and using vulnerable populations as test subjects without their informed consent is not only unethical but also scientifically unsound.

4. How do these experiments affect the African community?

The use of Africans as guinea pigs for AIDS treatment has had a significant impact on the African community, both physically and psychologically. Many Africans have suffered from adverse reactions to the experimental drugs, leading to serious health complications and even death. The experiments have also perpetuated mistrust and fear towards Western medicine and medical professionals, making it more difficult for Africans to access proper healthcare.

5. What measures have been taken to prevent the exploitation of Africans for AIDS treatment?

In recent years, there have been efforts to address the exploitation of Africans for AIDS treatment. This includes stricter regulations and ethical guidelines for medical research, as well as advocacy and activism from human rights organizations. Additionally, there has been a push for increased access to affordable and effective treatment for HIV/AIDS in Africa, reducing the need for experimental drugs. However, this issue still persists and there is a need for continued awareness and action to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable populations for medical research.

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