The Chairman of the fund, Justice Abubakar Wali, announced the fund’s decision to conduct DNA test on claimants to newsmen in Kano on Saturday.
He said that each of the claimants’ families was invited and screened by the fund’s technical committee, preparatory to the conduct of the test.
Wali said that at the end of the screening, it was clear that all those screened needed to proceed for the DNA test to determine further the veracity of their claims.
The chairman said that the DNA test would be conducted by a U.S.-based company, Bode Technologies Inc., adding that the company’s team would arrive the country in May.
Wali noted that a similar screening would be conducted for victims who were alive.
It would be recalled that 200 children underwent the Trovan anti-meningitis vaccine test conducted by Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company in 1996 at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Kano.
The test allegedly led to the death of some children, while others were deformed.
The trovan test triggered litigation between the Kano State Government and Pfizer International, which the government instituted on behalf of the victims.
The issue was, however, settled out of court, resulting in the establishment of the Meningitis Trust Fund to administer the settlement issues including verification of the victims and payment of compensation. (NAN)
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