Illegal herpes vaccine trial branded “Most Bizarre Human Experiment” by medical publication

Another reputable medical publication has rebuked the unethical and illegal herpes vaccine trial that took place in St. Kitts and Nevis, in 2016, and has questioned whether investigations by the local Police are still ongoing.

Global Research, through its website www.globalresearch.ca , published an article “The Herpes Vaccine and Some of the Most Bizarre Human Experiments You Most Likely Never Heard of” just under two weeks ago.

“The government of St. Kitts and Nevis at one point was investigating illegal clinical trials to test a herpes vaccine produced by an American company called ‘Rational Vaccines’ founded by Agustín Fernández III and his partner, William Halford,” the article indicates.

The article drew attention to the fact that the trials were outside of U.S. safety protections for human trials. The unethical trials were funded by Southern Illinois University and a group of wealthy libertarians, including a prominent Donald Trump supporter.

The risks were real. Experimental trials with live viruses could lead to infection if not handled properly or produce side effects in those already infected.

Memories of kicking back in a Caribbean hotel during the trial have been overshadowed by the dread of side effects and renewed outbreaks. But they can’t turn to Halford, a Southern Illinois University professor. He died of cancer.

They also can’t rely on his university, which shares in the vaccine’s patent but says it was unaware of the trial until after it was over and because the FDA didn’t monitor the research, it can’t provide guidance.

“This is exactly the problem with the way the trial was conducted,” said Jonathan Zenilman, an expert on sexually transmitted diseases at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore. “These people are supposed to have rights as human subjects, but now there’s nowhere for them to go. We may never know if this vaccine worked, didn’t work, or, even worse, harmed anyone”)

Investigations done by the university concluded that Dr. Halford was in “serious noncompliance with regulatory requirements and institutional policies and procedures.”

The government of St. Kitts and Nevis has been mum on investigations into the matter for well over a year, despite repeated calls from concerned parties, including the opposition St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party.