Africa needs a leadership, partnership and clear communication from Europe in this pandemic.

As an African doctor, my biggest concern with Covid-19’s pandemic is not knowing which drugs or vaccines will help patients in Africa, and tools developed in Europe and the United States will work properly or properly in Africa. It may not be used.

In order for Covid-19 solutions to have the greatest impact on the continent, we need to expand our clinical trial capabilities in Africa.

Since the birth of HIV, we have come a long way. At that time, drugs effective against Europeans and Americans were being deployed in Africa without trials, but it turned out that Africans either differ in metabolism or African strains are less susceptible.

It still happens with some illnesses, but thanks to the work of the central government, a European initiative called EDCTP, and other international actors and companies like me, Sub-Saharan Africa is malaria, tuberculosis, and other tropical. I became the leader in clinical trials for illness.

However, the capabilities of this clinical trial are often segregated, and its experience has not been harnessed to challenge world-wide medical problems.

South Africa leverages the strengths of HIV and tuberculosis, Continental’s first clinical trial of Covid-19 vaccine..

I expect many of the hundreds of potential vaccines and treatments being studied around the world to be tested in Africa. To achieve this, we need to do two things.

First, more people must participate in African clinical trials, including both individuals and academic institutions in Africa. This decision is based on trust. But everywhere we look, institutional trust is a crater.

Over the past few months, I’ve been plagued by many examples of inadvertent and conflicting remarks from European, American, and African civil servants about Covid-19, the media enthusiastically inciting.

The mask wasn’t needed until it was required. Lockdown was important to stop Covid-19 unless it was not. What should be objective public health communication is distorted by political agendas and transposed into social media conspiracy theories, like the wild idea that 5G infects coronaviruses.

This all hurt Africans. Our political leaders, institutions and people who seek to make the best decisions over the pandemic are looking for guidance.

Frequent confusion that creates fear and disbelief. Within our own continent, we also need to look east and west.

For example, there are research institutions such as CERMEL in Mali that have built relationships of trust with the communities participating in the research. Many children in Lamberene, home of CERMEL, participate in clinical trials for malaria.

This loss of confidence can have a ruthless effect on participation in clinical trials, especially trials of the same suspected northern solution developed. Eventually, Covid-19 vaccination coverage could be lower in Africa.

Secondly, Africa needs more test sites quickly. Lockdown and recession Sacrificed to many of them..

Those with a robust capacity are more likely to weather the Covid-19. Other trial sites are facing challenges and may have geographically concentrated survey data. As a result, the interpretation of the data may be limited and it may be difficult to know whether the findings will be broadly applicable or only applicable to a particular population.

This ability is needed to do more than stop Covid-19. To realize our true potential, we also Other diseases that plague Africa, Like malaria and sickle cell disease. Clinical research is the foundation on which we build strong medical systems.

The pharmaceutical industry, with its academic and public health partners, is constantly developing new ways to tailor old and new medicines to more specific populations. A robust infrastructure for clinical trials is a down payment for durable health and disease management.