tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84513338831220926122011-11-05T14:15:44.155-07:00News Updaternoreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8451333883122092612.post-63599982003563799602011-09-04T01:41:00.000-07:002011-09-04T01:42:23.130-07:00<p class="introduction" id="story_continues_1">US government scientists who infected Guatemalans with syphilis and gonorrhoea as part of a study knew they were violating ethical rules, a US presidential panel has said.</p> <p>The researchers infected hundreds of prisoners, psychiatric patients and sex workers during the 1940s to study the effects of penicillin.</p> <p>None of the Guatemalans was informed. </p> <p>But many of the same scientists had sought consent from participants in an earlier study in the US.</p> <p>Dr Amy Gutmann, head of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, called the research a "shameful piece of medical history". </p> <p>"It is important that we accurately document this clearly unethical historical injustice. We do this to honour the victims," she said in a statement.</p> <span class="cross-head">Morally wrong</span> <p>Guatemala's Vice President Rafael Espada told the BBC that his government would make a formal apology to the Guatemalan people as local doctors had also been involved in the US-funded programme. </p> <p>"We want to share this tragedy with the whole world," he said.</p><p id="story_continues_2">The Commission said some 5,500 Guatemalans were involved in all the research that took place between 1946 and 1948. </p> <p>Of these, some 1,300 were deliberately infected with syphilis, gonorrhoea or another sexually transmitted disease, chancroid.</p> <p>And of that group only about 700 received some sort of treatment. </p> <p>According to documents the commission had studied, at least 83 of the 5,500 subjects had died by the end of 1953.</p> <p>The commission was unable to say whether any of those deaths were caused directly or indirectly by the deliberate infections. </p> <p>But Dr Gutmann lambasted those responsible for the research.</p> <p>"Those involved in the study failed to show a minimal respect for human rights and morality in the conduct of research," she said in her concluding remarks to the panel. </p> <p>She said many of the actions were "grievously wrong" and those individuals behind the study were "morally culpable to various degrees".</p> <p>"Civilisations can be judged by the way they treat their most vulnerable... we failed to keep that covenant," she said.</p> <span class="cross-head">Lessons from history</span> <p>In the 1940s, sexually transmitted diseases were a major health threat. </p> <p>Many of the same researchers had carried out studies on prisoners in Terre Haute in the US state of Indiana. </p> <p>But in that case, the panel said, the researchers fully informed patients of what would be happening and gave them informed consent forms to sign. </p> <p> In Guatemala, patients were told "little to nothing" and there were no consent forms. </p> <p>US President Barack Obama set up the commission when the research first came to light last year. </p> <p>He also apologised to his Guatemalan counterpart, Alvaro Colom, saying the acts ran contrary to American values. </p> <p>The commission is due to publish its first report next month outlining the historical facts. </p> <p>Its final report, due to be completed in December, will examine the ethical issues involved and will aim to make sure such incidents never happen again.</p> <p>Earlier this year, a group of Guatemalans who were involved in the study announced they were suing the US government over the affair. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8451333883122092612-6359998200356379960?l=pixelmutt.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>News Updaternoreply@blogger.com1