By Omololu Falobi*

The intensive media coverage that has attended Abuja-based Dr. Jeremiah Abalaka's claims to a preventive and 'curative' vaccine for the Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome (AIDS) should interest any student of journalism.

From relative obscurity, Abalaka suddenly became hot news, 'the biggest thing to happen to Nigeria since Wole Soyinka won the Nobel'. In March and April 2000 - which could be described as the peak of the media frenzy on the issue - over a hundred stories were published on the 'Abalaka AIDS cure' saga in the major national newspapers and newsmagazines. The breakdown includes at least 10 cover stories, as many front-page stories, uncountable full-length interviews, feature-length articles, opinion articles and newspaper editorials by almost all the major national dailies.

Vanguard leads the pack with 12 front-page stories (including three lead stories but excluding inside page stories) devoted to the Abalaka story. All the stories were carried in the period under study - March and April 2000. The paper's Health Editor, Mr. Sam Eferaro, wrote all the stories except two. These include banner headlines such as 'Pharmacy Institute Confirms AIDS Cure' (March 20); 'AIDS: Abalaka gets patent on vaccine' and 'FG insists on proof of Abalaka's HIV vaccine'.

Indeed, more than any other major national publication, Vanguard shot Abalaka into national focus. In one interesting weekend, the paper's three titles (Vanguard, Weekend Vanguard and Sunday Vanguard) ran cover stories on the issue for three days consecutively.

Lets examine these stories in more detail to provide an insight into the trends of coverage of this still breaking news.

Vanguard's first story in the period under study was carried on March 20 titled, 'AIDS gets patent on vaccine'. For many readers, this was the story that shored up the doctor's claim to what should be the world's greatest medical breakthrough. Unfortunately, the story was deficient right from its very first sentence.

"The Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), has confirmed the efficacy of a curative vaccine for the dreaded HIV, the virus that causes AIDS developed by a Nigerian surgeon, Dr Jeremiah Abalaka", the story read. And it was easy to spot the factual deficiency: Anybody who knows the meaning of a vaccine knows that it can NEVER be curative. A casual check on the dictionary, whether the conventional or specialised medical type, would show that a vaccine can only be preventive. Yet that story was written by a line editor and passed through sub-editors and presumably, the paper's editor!

In just one sentence, the paper had perhaps unwittingly succeeded in perpetuating a fallacy.

One of the major causes of misleading reports in the Nigerian media is that many of our colleagues don't read. The fact is that Abalaka isn't even the only Nigerian, biomedical doctor or not, to make unverified claims to curing AIDS. You only need to browse through cuttings on AIDS in any media library to discover the name of up to a dozen persons who at least in the past two years, have touted their AIDS cure claims to the media and got generous free newspaper space. Admittedly, Abalaka wins by a wide gap the prize of 'Person Who Has Attracted The Greatest Media Coverage For Claiming To Have A Cure For AIDS'.

He himself would be surprised though that when it comes to the African regional finals of the same competition, he wouldn't stand any chance. Renowned Zairean immunologist and head of the Medical Research Centre of the University of Kinshasa, Professor Lurhuma Ziriwabagabo beat him to it as far back as November 1987, only two years after the first AIDS case in Africa was identified.

In 1987, the national radio in Zaire arrested the attention of the medical community in Africa and most of the world when it announced that a major medical breakthrough was to be announced on a given date. Rumour spread that a leading professor of medicine had discovered a cure for AIDS and the government was behind it. It was the beginning of the MM1 saga.

On the appointed date, Ziriwabagabo soberly announced that he had cured many HIV-infected persons with a newly-discovered drug. The drug had shown close to 60 per cent efficacy; other major assets were its affordable costs of about 10 US dollars per treatment of an infected person, its low toxicity as compared to other available treatment drugs, and easy availability of raw materials for its production. The drug was named MM1, after late Zairean President Mobutu Sese-Seko and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. But political considerations often confuse scientific goals. In a very short time, MM1 was found to be no cure for HIV/AIDS.

By the time Lurhuma died years later, thousands of desperate patients had spent time, efforts and money to obtain MM1. Lurhuma had profited from his false claim; Mobutu and former Zaire had acquired a false image of scientific repute, but it was very short lived.

In early 1990, another East African - this time a Kenyan - also beat Abalaka to the coveted prize. A Dr Koech, director of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), announced the discovery of Kemron.

The KEMRI claim of a cure drug attracted interest and clients from far and wide. A reputable research institute with trained orthodox medical and scientific specialists could be expected to know what it meant to have a cure for a complicated virus like HIV, or so it seemed. Notwithstanding the suspicion ignited by MM1 and similar other claims including those from western countries, the Kemron drug was used by many hopeful patients and infected persons. Controversy surrounded reports that the health of some of the patients actually improved and as time went on, further research and trials confirmed that Kemron was not a cure and was far from being an effective treatment drug. Today, Kemron is no longer under discussion even as a drug in any reputable setting. The image of KEMRI has been badly damaged ever since. About four years ago, another Kenyan, Prof. Obeng of the School of Medicine at the University of Nairobi announced that he had finally solved the question with a drug called Pearl Omega. The local press would not let Obeng get away easily with this claim, after the local unsavoury experience of Kemron. Many journalists and scientists sought verification of the claim, but very little evidence was forthcoming. Meanwhile, ordinary Kenyans called for official support for the "saviour drug". Afterall, they argued, if the drug were discovered by "white people, they would have supported one of their own." In a short time however, the claim became quite doubtful, although many hopeful patients continued to seek Obeng and his Pearl Omega, paying exorbitant prices.

In 1997, it was the turn of South Africa - an AIDS cure scandal that involved the almighty African National Congress (ANC) and (then) Deputy President, Thabo Mbeki. Just two years after the ANC took over the reins of government from white supremacists, the South African health minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced that two researchers with links to the ANC had discovered a drug called Virodene, which could cure AIDS. Apparently, the inventors of Virodene had bypassed all the research protocols and controls at universities and went directly to the minister, who presented the researchers and their claims to a cabinet meeting, and they were hailed for their "discovery." Mbeki went on television, personally endorsing the drug. Further research by South African scientists in South African medical laboratories showed that Virodene was made up of industrial solvents which have no medical value whatsoever and in fact, is harmful to people. Thabo Mbeki and the ANC were forced to tuck in their tails between their legs.
[url][/url]http://www.nigeria-aids.org/reports.cfm?read=1

Who can summarize olz

thegoodjoehunt3:
There is nothing in this article that relates Dr Agbalaka to fraud. Disgusting article. You are just listing people with claim for cures.

Dr Agbalaka's claims should be supported and not kicked away.

These geniuses need more testing labs and sponsorship.

Note, I watched the NewsLine coverage of Dr Agbalaka. I was impressed by the fact he was a student who regularly made excellent grades and he was a distinction student in his university.

Like You, i will be excited if his 'cure' or 'vaccine' is effective but its not..he is a charlatan riding on the desperation of a deadly epidemic and victims
the fact he is an excellent student mean nothing in the rigorous world of Research..they are protocols to follow if you claim to be a scientist, am sure he took basic scientific research in his undergraduate days..
drugs are not approved based on newspaper reports and self adulation.let him follow the scientific path, nobody will 'steal' his invention..

The scientific method
Replication

If an experiment cannot be repeated to produce the same results, this implies that the original results might have been in error. As a result, it is common for a single experiment to be performed multiple times, especially when there are uncontrolled variables or other indications of experimental error. For significant or surprising results, other scientists may also attempt to replicate the results for themselves, especially if those results would be important to their own work.
External review

The process of peer review involves evaluation of the experiment by experts, who typically give their opinions anonymously. Some journals request that the experimenter provide lists of possible peer reviewers, especially if the field is highly specialized. Peer review does not certify correctness of the results, only that, in the opinion of the reviewer, the experiments themselves were sound (based on the description supplied by the experimenter). If the work passes peer review, which occasionally may require new experiments requested by the reviewers, it will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The specific journal that publishes the results indicates the perceived quality of the work.
Data recording and sharing

Scientists typically are careful in recording their data, a requirement promoted by Ludwik Fleck (1896–1961) and others.Though not typically required, they might be requested to supply this data to other scientists who wish to replicate their original results (or parts of their original results), extending to the sharing of any experimental samples that may be difficult to obtain.

- wikipaedia

am no hater of reputable scientist; read on haile Debas, read on Col. Ovadje..african medical SCIENTIST. they followed known protocols and the world acclaimed them. let Abalaka follow the norm. SIMPLE

thegoodjoehunt3:


[b]Curative vaccine against AIDS tested on humans
On January 29, Public Assistance - Hospitals of Marseille (AP-HM) announced the start of clinical trials of a therapeutic vaccine against HIV. Embodying the work of Dr. Erwann Loret, these tests will be supervised by Dr. Isabelle Ravaux, Service of Infectious Diseases, Hospital of the Conception (AP-HM). It retails for around Doctissimo hopes this vaccine cure "Tat Oyi"

http://healthadus..com/2013/02/curative-vaccine-against-aids-tested-on.html

Dr. Zhen Fang Fu, a rabies researcher in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, will collaborate with Thomas Jefferson University Jefferson Medical College and several other institutions to test a curative vaccine for Rabies Virus, or RV, that could be administered late in the disease process


http://naturalunseenhazards./2011/07/25/uga%E2%80%99s-college-of-veterinary-medicine-to-receive-1-4-million-to-study-interventional-vaccine-for-rabies-virus-north-carolina-reports-first-human-case-of-la-crosse-viral-encephalitis-this-year/

Remember, the producers of the Ebola drug ZMapp are making a vaccine with the same formula. So your theory of no interventional/therapeutic vaccine is wrong.[/b]

you proved my point, if you read the articles you posted, they are following research protocol, part of which is peer review and the two scholars are working in reputable instituitions. Abalaka and the others work from a room and willl not allow even the NMA to test their drugs claiming it will be stolen. research is NOT conducted that way.
Peace.

A 2004 article;
'This man was having a lot of patients coming to him and was making a lot of money,'' said Akin Adubifa, executive secretary of the Lagos-based Nigerian Academy of Science.

''The academy wanted to verify his claim and made arrangements to visit his clinic. The findings of the representatives were that his claim could not be scientifically verified,'' Adubifa told SciDev.Net.

The academy subsequently issued a critical report to the Nigerian Ministry of Health. After the report was published in newspapers, Abalaka sued the academy and its representatives on the grounds that they have damaged his business.

Abalaka has claimed in several media reports, without providing evidence, that he is the victim of an international conspiracy to rob him of profits from the vaccine. Although all the profits appear to go to his clinic, he claims that testing the vaccine will undermine his intellectual property rights.

''Abalaka hasn't even got the facilities in the lab to produce any vaccine. His lab is virtually bare,'' Olusegun Oke, vice-president of the Nigerian Academy of Science and former vice-chancellor of the University of Technology in Ogbomoso, told SciDev.Ne

thegoodjoehunt3:
I proved that, your point that vaccine can not be curative, is wrong.


The norm is not a walk in the park. Sponsor Dr Agbalaka and see if he would not follow the norm.


The point of linking the doctor to fraud is wrong. There is no proof of fraud.

we could do this all day. back and forth; but its been twelve years since Abalaka vaccine and cure; yet the statitics of hiv death has mainatained steadily in sub saharan africa, if his claims are true, he should provide verifiable independently tested HIV patients he succesfuly treated.
emotions and they hate the black man is not how true research is done.
in the no distance time, i predict, you will know his claims for what they are.

Why is the blackman very emotional and gullible? why do we think scientific breakthroughs are verified by a court judgement? what phase of drug trial has Abalaka's vaccine passed? The scientific process is slow and gruelling but it produces lasting results. I choose to stand by this process all the way. Dr Abalaka should know better than all these press hullabaloo that has been associated with his name these past few years.

WHY DO ALL NEGATIVE WRITE UPS AGAINST PEOPLE OF OTHER TRIBES OF NIGERIA COME FROM THE YORUBAS?

ITS REALY UNBECOMING. I HATE IT FROM MY SPIRIT.

WHEN ANY GOOD THING IS NOT FROM YORUBA, THEN ITS NOT REAL.

I ADVICE THE YORUBAS TO CHANGE THEIR WAYS TO ACCOMODATE OTHERS.

masterpower:
WHY DO ALL NEGATIVE WRITE UPS AGAINST PEOPLE OF OTHER TRIBES OF NIGERIA COME FROM THE YORUBAS?

ITS REALY UNBECOMING. I HATE IT FROM MY SPIRIT.

WHEN ANY GOOD THING IS NOT FROM YORUBA, THEN ITS NOT REAL.

I ADVICE THE YORUBAS TO CHANGE THEIR WAYS TO ACCOMODATE OTHERS.

well ,maybe the Yorubas prefer going by the rules. No short-cut to excellence you know. And please, dont go tribal this easily!