General news from Sunday, February 7, 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
2021-02-07
Prof Alexander Dodoo, head of the GSA
The director general of the Ghana Standards Authority, Professor Alexander Dodoo, recalled how people in the medical fraternity were reprimanded years ago for an alleged cure for HIV.
Ghanaweb monitored his presentations on Joy FM’s Newsfile program on Saturday, February 7; where he shared experience in fighting the coronavirus in Ghana – addressing, among others, the issue of hydrogen peroxide use and vaccination.
On the subject of the controversies surrounding medical discoveries, he said: “… this problem is not new in Ghana, back in the early 2000s, we had someone saying that goat serum cures HIV and many of us were left roast saying that no matter what evidence you have, it should be assessed independently, impartially and scientifically.
“The advice is that in relation to its use (hydrogen peroxide) for the treatment of COVID, the answer is no. It is a very good antiseptic, it can be used by dentists and others who know how to mix and use it, but for the community in general a lot of guidance is needed ”, he stressed.
His position, calling for caution on the use of hydrogen peroxide, was unanimously accepted by other members of the panel. All of them urged the scientific community to intensify efforts to test the effectiveness of the solution for the treatment and / or cure of the coronavirus.
So what exactly was a cure for HIV with goat serum?
In September 2005, senior officials who led Ghana’s fight against HIV / AIDS rejected claims that a goat serum tested in Ghana offered hope for People Living with HIV / AIDS (PLWA).
The employees, led by Prof. Fred Sai, Government Advisor for HIV / AIDS, said that no conclusive clinical tests have been performed on the product. They referred to a media report on the virtues of serum, describing the report as false and equivalent to the deception of the population.
The resignation was a retraction of a story published in the September 6 issue of the Daily Graphic entitled: “Hope for people with HIV / AIDS – new serum tested here proves effective.”
“We are not even close to starting to hope … we are not even close to turning the product into a drug,” Professor Sai said at a packed press conference. The Daily Graphic reported that goat serum can suppress and neutralize strains of HIV-2 in goats.
However, authorities at the Noguchi Medical and Memorial Institute (NMIMR) at the time confirmed that the tests carried out showed that the product could react to the HIV-2 strain in goats, but the tests were still preliminary.
Professor Sai said that while Ghana has reputable institutions and scientists, promoters of goat serum have refused to allow the product to undergo “rigorous scientific testing”.
September 2005 GNA Report: Officials Disprove HIV Cure Claims