Sep 4, 2024 06:38 PM
(This post was last modified: Sep 4, 2024 06:39 PM by C C.)
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/30/health/ni...index.html
INTRO: The National Institutes of Health said Friday that it is stopping its research of what’s commonly known as Havana syndrome, a mysterious illness experienced by a number of spies, soldiers and diplomats who have reported sudden debilitating symptoms of unknown origin.
The NIH said it would end the work “out of an abundance of caution” after an internal investigation found that people had been coerced into to being part of the research.
The coercion, the agency specified, was not on its own part, but the NIH did not elaborate as to who may have forced the participation. However, it noted that voluntary consent is a fundamental pillar of the ethical conduct of research.
Some of the people who reported being sick previously claimed that the CIA made them join the research as a prerequisite for getting health care.
A CIA official said the agency takes “any claim of coercion, or perceived coercion, extremely seriously and fully cooperated with NIH’s review of this matter, and have offered access to any information requested.”
The official told CNN the CIA Inspector General is aware of the NIH’s findings and the prior related allegations.
“We greatly value the efforts of the scientific community to better understand these reported health incidents. CIA remains committed to ensuring continued access to care for affected officers and to fully investigating any reports of health incidents,” the official said in a statement.
“They wanted us to be a lab rat for a week before we actually got treatment at Walter Reed — and at bare minimum, that is unethical and immoral,” Marc Polymeropoulos told CNN in May.
Polymeropoulos, a former CIA officer who says he has been sick, is an advocate for those struck by what the US government calls “anomalous health incidents.” He said in May that he believes that participation in this research was “ordered” by senior leadership at the CIA.
In March, the CIA issued a statement that denied that people were required to participate. The agency did not respond to CNN’s request for comment Friday.
Forced participation in a study is considered highly unethical and is extremely uncommon, ethicists say... (MORE - details)
INTRO: The National Institutes of Health said Friday that it is stopping its research of what’s commonly known as Havana syndrome, a mysterious illness experienced by a number of spies, soldiers and diplomats who have reported sudden debilitating symptoms of unknown origin.
The NIH said it would end the work “out of an abundance of caution” after an internal investigation found that people had been coerced into to being part of the research.
The coercion, the agency specified, was not on its own part, but the NIH did not elaborate as to who may have forced the participation. However, it noted that voluntary consent is a fundamental pillar of the ethical conduct of research.
Some of the people who reported being sick previously claimed that the CIA made them join the research as a prerequisite for getting health care.
A CIA official said the agency takes “any claim of coercion, or perceived coercion, extremely seriously and fully cooperated with NIH’s review of this matter, and have offered access to any information requested.”
The official told CNN the CIA Inspector General is aware of the NIH’s findings and the prior related allegations.
“We greatly value the efforts of the scientific community to better understand these reported health incidents. CIA remains committed to ensuring continued access to care for affected officers and to fully investigating any reports of health incidents,” the official said in a statement.
“They wanted us to be a lab rat for a week before we actually got treatment at Walter Reed — and at bare minimum, that is unethical and immoral,” Marc Polymeropoulos told CNN in May.
Polymeropoulos, a former CIA officer who says he has been sick, is an advocate for those struck by what the US government calls “anomalous health incidents.” He said in May that he believes that participation in this research was “ordered” by senior leadership at the CIA.
In March, the CIA issued a statement that denied that people were required to participate. The agency did not respond to CNN’s request for comment Friday.
Forced participation in a study is considered highly unethical and is extremely uncommon, ethicists say... (MORE - details)