The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is searching for volunteers to be infected with Malaria as part of a new study.
2,000 volunteers will be screened to identify 200 suitable candidates who will then be injected with the Malaria parasite.
The selected candidates will then be monitored in-patient for 24 days, and will be paid Sh2,000 per night which translates to maximum possible earnings of Sh48,000.
The researchers are looking to, among other objectives, identify new vaccines to fight Malaria by delving into how some people are able to resist it.
The study areas lined up are Nairobi for Central Kenya and Ahero for the Western region.
[caption caption="File image of KEMRI scientists"]
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The study began in 2016 and has already seen 105 volunteers undergo the process in Kilifi at the Coast.
It is ran by KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi in conjuction with Oxford University, University of Cambridge, Pwani University and US biotechnology firm Sonaria Inc.
However, a new debate is emerging on the ethical implications of infecting healthy people with harmful organisms in exchange for cash.
A team of social scientists from the affore-mentioned institutions and the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the concerns that poor residents could be easily exploited.
“There are myriad ethical issues that are likely to emerge with such studies especially in poor countries, and the need to ensure that communities are not exploited,” their report published in April read in part.
[caption caption="KEMRI Headquarters"]
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