So a research group is asking people to voluntarily be infected with malaria. The institute, which is based in Seattle, will pay volunteers $4000 to allow a malaria-infected mosquito to bite them. Afterwards they will cure them. The purpose is to test some experimental vaccines.
Would you do it? I had malaria once when I was living in Africa. It is the worst illness I’ve ever had with recurring fever, chills, headache, nausea, fatigue, and muscle weakness. Nevertheless, it’s a tempting offer.
3 responses so far ↓
Pauline // March 6, 2008 at 9:49 am |
Not tempting to me. I seem to remember reading that even after you get better, symptoms can recur at a later time.
renaissanceguy // March 6, 2008 at 2:27 pm |
Pauline, if a person totally eradicates the malaria-causing parasites, then there will not be recurrences. If any of them remain, then it can happen.
mommy // March 7, 2008 at 12:59 pm |
I once wrote software to support the Human Volunteer Research Committee of a medical school and got to see the proposals that were submitted. You wouldn’t believe some of the things these researchers were proposing.