THE THOUGHTS ROOM

The lead scientist for the Ebola Vaccine trial in Ghana, Prof. Fred Binka has offered to volunteer for the clinical trial. Prof Fred Binka According to him, he would be delighted to be used for the vaccination trial if that will bring an end to the misconception about the trial scheduled to take place in the Volta Region. Prof. Binka who is the Foundation Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, said on Starr FM that “I have had a battle with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA); I would be the first to take the vaccine. Because this is a political disease and maybe we have to find different ways of doing that. I don’t think I will be offering Ghanaians something that will be dangerous to them.” “But if they can see that I personally can take the vaccine, I will be happy to do that. When this vaccine came to Geneva, the assistant WHO director took it and so there is no problem at all,” he said. At a recently held sensitisation forum in Accra, Prof. Binka

Victims of last Saturday’s Sodom and Gomorrah demolition exercise took to the streets Monday morning to demonstrate against the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA). Sodom and Gomorrah residents demonstrate over demolition According to reports, the groups picketed at various spots including the Parliament House, State House, AMA office and the Agbogbloshie Market. According to a report on Citi FM, the demonstrators numbering about 200 were trying to enter the Banquet Hall of the State House to draw the attention of the President to their plight as a result of the demolition which has left them homeless. Another group, numbering about 1000 blocked the roads leading to the Agbogbloshie Market with burning tyres. Describing the situation as chaotic, the Citi FM report said the police were on the ground trying to bring the crowd under control. The angry youth say they have been betrayed and will vote against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) come 2016. Background

President John Dramani Mahama has directed that DNA tests be conducted on the charred bodies of last Wednesday’s fire disaster to ease identification by family members. He is, therefore, calling on families who are yet to identify members to visit the 37 Military, Police and Korle Bu Teaching Hospitals with DNA samples to confirm the identities of the deceased. The President gave this directive Wednesday morning during the memorial service to sympathise with victims of the double disaster which claimed over 150 lives and destroyed properties worth millions of Ghana cedis. The memorial service brings to an end the three days of mourning set aside by government in honour of the victims who died during the flood and fire that hit parts of Accra on Wednesday, June 3, 2015. Addressing the congregation, President Mahama said, “Government has given authorisation for DNA tests to be conducted on the bodies from the disaster which have not yet been identified. This will allow famili