Several African footballing figures have been left reeling after two French doctors speaking on live TV suggested using Africa as a testing ground for potential coronavirus vaccines.
“This may be controversial, but shouldn’t we do a study in Africa where they do not have masks, treatments or resuscitation? A little as it is done in AIDS studies where they use prostitutes to test some things because they know that they are highly exposed and do not protect themselves. What do you think?” asked Dr. Jean Paul Mira, who is head of resuscitation services at the Cochin Hospital in Paris, on France’s LCI network.
Speaking to Dr. Mira via video link, Dr. Camille Locht, director of research at the French Institute of Health and Medical Research, responded: “You are right. We are thinking of a parallel study in Africa to use this same kind of approach with BCG Placebos. I think there is a request for a proposal. I don’t know if it is out yet or not, and we will in fact think seriously about that too.”
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The exchange has caused outrage in France and beyond, with Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and Everton’s Demba Ba taking to Twitter to express their anger at Doctors Mira and Loch’s controversial proposal.
“Welcome to the West, where white people believe themselves to be so superior that racism and stupidity have become commonplace. TIME TO RISE,” wrote Demba Ba in a post where he shared the video on his Twitter page.
“You sons of bitches,” was Eto’o’s short but poignant response to the video. The Barcelona legend subsequently got involved in a heated discussion with fellow users who had criticised him for his expletive insult of the two doctors.
Meanwhile, Didier Drogba also shared his disgust for the exchange, while calling the doctors’ words “racist” and warning against using African people as “human guinea pigs”.
“It is totally inconceivable we keep on cautioning this. Africa isn’t a testing lab. I would like to vividly denounce those demeaning, false and most of all deeply racist words. Helps us save Africa with the current ongoing Covid-19 and flatten the curve,” said the former Chelsea striker.
“Let us save ourselves from this crazy virus that is plummeting the world economy and ravaging populations’ health worldwide. It’s absolutely disgusting.”
Drogba also called on African leaders to “take responsibility to protect their populations from those horrendous conspiracies.”
