Accra: Ghana has halted a plan to test two Ebola vaccines in an eastern town after legislators backed local protests against the trials sparked by fears of contamination, officials said on Wednesday.
The country's Food and Drugs Authority said it had begun enlisting volunteers in Hohoe in the Volta region to be injected with drugs made by Johnson & Johnson and Bavarian Nordic as part of a global Ebola vaccine drive.
Youth leaders threatened to boycott the programme. "We don't want to be guinea pigs," one local leader told Reuters.
Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since it began more than a year ago but new cases have declined sharply. Ghana has yet to record a case.
"The (health) minister has suspended the trials indefinitely because the people said they don't want it," Health Ministry spokesman Tony Goodman said. The worst-hit countries have completed first trials of an experimental vaccine.
On Wednesday, parliament ordered the trials suspended and summoned the health minister to appear next week on the matter, senior parliamentary official Ebenezer Dzietror told Reuters.
The country's Food and Drugs Authority said it had begun enlisting volunteers in Hohoe in the Volta region to be injected with drugs made by Johnson & Johnson and Bavarian Nordic as part of a global Ebola vaccine drive.
Youth leaders threatened to boycott the programme. "We don't want to be guinea pigs," one local leader told Reuters.
"The (health) minister has suspended the trials indefinitely because the people said they don't want it," Health Ministry spokesman Tony Goodman said. The worst-hit countries have completed first trials of an experimental vaccine.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2015
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Chinese Scientists Create Mutant Ebola Virus In Lab That Causes Horrific Symptoms One-Year-Old Ghanaian Toddler Named Youngest Male Artist in the World Ebola Virus: Origin, Transmission, And Impact 10 Years After Outbreak UP BJP Chief Tells PM He Wants To Quit, Amit Shah In Action Amid Rejig Buzz "I Divorce You... Your Ex-Wife": Dubai Princess Dumps Husband In Insta Post In Massive Row Over Karnataka 100% Quota Bill, Chief Minister Deletes Post Are Doors Still Open For Nephew Ajit? Sharad Pawar Said This Karnataka High Court Gives Bail To 3 Murder Accused In Gauri Lankesh Case Consumption, Private Investment: The Twin Challenge For Budget FY25 Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.