An undercover BBC sting has exposed a secret network of illegal baby chimpanzee traders, based in the Ivory Coast. Reporters posed as potential buyers for a year-long BBC News investigation, exposing the illegal ring that had evaded police for years.

Capturing and selling baby apes is a highly profitable trade, as the animals are popular pets in the Gulf States, Southeast Asia, and China. For years, videos of the notorious “blue room” filled with captive baby chimps for sale circulated, but no one knew exactly where the operation’s headquarters were.

Buying a baby chimpanzee comes at a cost of at least $12,500. Capturing infant chimps normally requires the killing of the parents and other full-grown apes in the family so they won’t intervene. In order to kidnap one live baby, as many as ten adults are often slaughtered. This has an enormous impact on the chimpanzee population, as illegal poaching of the endangered species is a big problem in this part of the world.

BBC News reveals shocking trade in baby chimps

*map shows extent of illegal great apes trafficking routes https://t.co/cVcwyRZRBi pic.twitter.com/hpeUMSsODH

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 31, 2017

After they are kidnapped, the baby chimpanzees are shipped–often in hidden crates behind other animals–to rich buyers in other parts of the world. The Cites agreement (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ) restricts international trade of endangered animals, and chimps are under its highest level of protection. They can only be exported if they have been bred in captivity, and any organizations exporting or importing them need to be registered with Cites.

Despite this, some smugglers are able to circumvent these controls by easily purchasing fake trade permits in West Africa. Another common tactic is to get a permit for less endangered animals and simply hide the chimps among them.

Seized from the jungle, orphaned, sold to smugglers, then rescued after a BBC investigation – meet Nemley junior on #BBCNewsTen tonight pic.twitter.com/6op0wzOLK9

— David Shukman (@davidshukmanbbc) January 30, 2017

Once the infant chimps are no longer cute babies, they are often abandoned, locked up, or even killed. Swiss wildlife activist Karl Amman described the practice as a “kind of slavery.”

“They still have 90% of their life ahead of them,” Amman said. “They get locked in some cage and maybe even killed in some cases because they have outlived their useful pet stage.That for me is just impossible to accept.”

The BBC reporters exposed the chimpanzee trafficking ring by building relationships with the smugglers and pretending to represent wealthy clients, leading to the rescue of a one-year-old chimp.

However, experts have found that most baby chimps are traumatized for life after seeing their parents killed. Dan Bucknall, of the wildlife charity Tusk, stated that the recovery could be “very difficult with such clever sentient animals.” But he added that they are also resilient: “In the right hands, with good carers, and with constant attention, they can do OK and the prospects are good.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Baby Chimpanzee Trafficking Network Discovered in West Africa appeared first on Law Street.

Never before has a sitting president been defeated in a Nigerian election–until now. General Muhammadu Buhari ousted President Goodluck Jonathan in a decisive victory in the country’s latest election, and it is an incredibly momentous event in Nigeria’s history.

Courtesy of Chatham House via Flickr.

Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) won 15,424,921 votes against President Goodluck Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which won 12,853,162. Since independence from Britain in 1960, there have been numerous coups and many contrived elections–even this election has observers wondering.

President-Elect Buhari, a 72-year-old Muslim from northern Nigeria, won the presidency on his fourth attempt. Previously he ruled the country from January 1984 through August 1985 after taking control through a military coup.

Buhari lead the northwestern states, which have suffered the most by Islamist militant group Boko Haram. In Borno state, one of the worst affected by Islamist violence, Buhari won 94 percent of the vote.

For 16 years, PDP had been in power. This year Nigerians decided that the Opposition should have a go at sorting things out. Nigerians are accustomed to the incumbent fulfilling a second term; something rather big made them change their minds. The keyword is change.

Buhari now has to prove he really can change things. Boko Haram, the economy, and the unceasing cry of corruption are at the forefront of the list.

Boko Haram

Islamist militant group Boko Haram  has instilled so much fear in the Nigerian government that the Presidential elections were delayed for six weeks to allow time for the security situation to improve. Its existence is one of the biggest reasons that only 17 percent of Nigerians turned out to vote.

Read More: Boko Haram: How Can Nigeria Stop the Terror?

Boko Haram has been launching military operations since 2009 with the goal of creating an Islamic state in Nigeria. The group is responsible for the death of more than 20,000 Nigerians, and it’s terrorized Northern Nigeria, taken over cities, and infamously kidnapped 200 school girls in April 2014. Many people question the strategy of the Nigerian military, and criticize Jonathan for not challenging this threat.

The Economy

Nigeria is Africa’s leading oil producer, yet more than half of its people live in poverty. The market for stolen oil has increased violence and corruption in the Niger Delta–the home of the industry. Few Nigerians, including those in oil-producing areas, have benefited from the oil wealth.

Read More: The High Cost of Falling Oil Prices

Nigeria was badly hit by the fall in the oil price. Oil represents 90 percent of Nigerian exports and 70 percent of its government revenues; it’s hard to recover from a fall in the oil price. Additionally, the U.S. is no longer importing Nigerian oil because it has had such success in the shale revolution.

Corruption

The contentious issue of corruption undermines the trust in Nigeria’s government. Allegations of deception, fraud, and bribery include security funding, the legality of government officials, and enforcement of policies and elections. Past elections have been tarnished by serious suspicions of rigging. In 2007, observers said the presidential poll was not “credible.” In 2011 the vote was considered better, but fraud still took place.

This time the electoral commission took more steps to prevent rigging, including new biometric voters cards.

These are the changes the Nigerian people–and international community–call for and will be looking at closely. If there are significant advances toward counterterrorism strategy, economic schemes, and financial circulation, as well as more serious crackdowns on corruption, then we could look forward to long-term positive outcomes not only in Nigeria, but globally as well.

Jasmine Shelton

Jasmine Shelton is an American University Alumna, Alabamian at heart, and Washington D.C. city girl for now. She loves hiking, second-hand clothes, and flying far away. Contact Jasmine at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Transition of Power in Nigeria Could Mean Global Change appeared first on Law Street.

It seems like all anyone can talk about anymore is Ebola. Especially now that the first case of Ebola has been found in the United States, in Dallas, and the first case transmitted outside Africa reported in Madrid, people seem to be freaking out. One big concern has been that Ebola is going to become an issue in the U.S., which I just want to start by saying is unfounded and unrealistic. The public health infrastructure in the U.S., as well as our ability to isolate the disease make it incredibly unlikely that it becomes an epidemic. You’re still significantly more likely to die of the flu, or a car accident than even go near someone who has Ebola. As of press time, Thomas Eric Duncan — the man in Dallas who had contracted Ebola — has passed away of the disease, and while our thoughts and sympathy are with his family, this development does not change the risk factors in the U.S.

People are losing their minds over it. Seriously, check out #EbolaQandA on Twitter. It makes me terrified — not of Ebola, but at the extent to which our American education system appears to have failed people when it comes to very, very basic concepts of health and geography. Now Ebola is an incredibly important world issue right now, and combating it absolutely deserves our attention, vigilance, and support. That being said, we all need to take a deep breath over here in the U.S., and stop listening to misinformation and conspiracy theories, because this is getting silly. Here’s a helpful flowchart for anyone who’s concerned about the spread of Ebola in America.

Worried about Ebola? Here's a flowchart just for you! #diseases #outbreak #EbolaOutbreak #notenoughwine pic.twitter.com/U6uvQd8MKf

— Melody Butler (@MelodyButler) August 2, 2014

There have been many proposals to try to keep the United States from having Ebola-infected people cross over our borders. One of the most extreme is a “travel ban” aimed at West African countries with high infection rates.

This sounds like a good idea in theory, it really does. But in reality, it’s not something the U.S. will do, or should do. First of all, the best way to make sure that the United States does not experience problems with Ebola is to stop the epidemic. And if we restrict our access and communication with the affected region, it’s just going to get worse. When there’s not a huge risk of Ebola reaching any sort of epidemic levels in the United States, it doesn’t make sense to impede our relief efforts with a ban. A travel ban could mean that relief workers have a harder time going in, or refuse to go at all because they worry that they might not be able to get back.

Also, instituting a travel ban could make it more likely that someone with a case of Ebola makes it into the U.S. If we have a ban in place for countries heavily infected like Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, people are going to find a way around it. They could go to Senegal, or any other nearby nation where travel is not restricted. Because of the ban they may be incentivized to lie about whether or not they’ve been in contact with an infected person in hopes of not being prevented from getting on a plane. Right now we’re able to track people and examine them at the airport and upon arrival, and we’re going to strengthen our tools for that. We shouldn’t incentivize anything that makes it harder for us to do that.

I’m not an expert in public health; I don’t know what will happen with this epidemic. But what I do know is that panicking is going to do nothing. Educate yourself. Donate to the relief effort. Don’t feed the frenzy. This crisis needs a pragmatic approach, not a reactionary one.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Keep Calm and Carry On: You Don’t Have Ebola appeared first on Law Street.

For the first time in the United States during the current outbreak, a patient was diagnosed with the Ebola virus–the Centers for Disease control confirmed the case on Tuesday. As if Thomas Duncan, the infected Liberian man who came to the United States, doesn’t have enough to worry about, he’s also facing legal trouble. The Liberian government will prosecute Duncan when he returns to Liberia for allegedly lying on an airport questionnaire, the Associated Press reported.

Duncan left Liberia on September 19th to visit his family and wasn’t showing any symptoms at the time. Days before, he helped take a 19-year-old infected pregnant woman to a hospital and helped bring her back home when she was turned away for lack of space, the New York Times reported. The woman, Marthalene Williams, died the next day. Williams’ parents said that Duncan helped carry her back from the taxi to her house. Her brother, who accompanied her, her father, and Duncan on the taxi ride home, also started showing symptoms of Ebola and died less than a week later.

When Duncan was at the airport on his way out of Liberia, he received a questionnaire given to anyone intending to depart Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone – the three West African countries countries most severely facing the Ebola epidemic – asking him about his recent contact history in the country. Duncan answered “no” when when asked whether he had been in contact with anyone who may have been infected.

Duncan passed the screening at the airport without showing any sign of symptoms and boarded his plane. The idea that Liberian officials would threaten to prosecute him might suggest double standards, since people are still able to move between countries in West Africa. But Liberia may have chosen to do this to make an example out of Duncan. It’s likely that Liberia wants to set a precedent that its screenings are serious business and wants countries to where Liberians travel to be reassured about that, Cornell University Law professor Jens Ohlin told the Atlantic.

The sudden decision to prosecute an infected person might also be an attempt not to upset U.S. officials, though Ohlin doesn’t seem to think so. This hasn’t happened in other major countries, so it is tough to say whether Liberia is singling out the United States.

Duncan is arguably very lucky that he happened to be in America when he started to show symptoms of Ebola. The average death rate has been up to 90 percent in previous outbreaks, according to the World Health Organization. But in August, two American aid workers who were working in West Africa were cured of the disease after being treated in Atlanta.

Currently being treated in a Dallas hospital, Duncan started showing symptoms on Sept. 24 and went in for treatment two days later. His family members in Dallas have also been quarantined in their apartment. While the situation is dire in West Africa, CDC Director guaranteed that it wouldn’t be a problem in the United States. “The United States has a strong health care system and public health professionals who will make sure this case does not threaten our communities,” he said in a press release on Tuesday.

—

Zaid Shoorbajee (@ZBajee)

Featured image courtesy of [Phil Moyer via Flickr]

Zaid Shoorbajee

Zaid Shoorbajee is a an undergraduate student at The George Washington University majoring in journalism and economics. He is from the Washington, D.C. area and likes reading and writing about international affairs, politics, business and technology (especially when they intersect). Contact Zaid at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Liberia to Prosecute Ebola-Infected Traveler appeared first on Law Street.

The recent Ebola outbreak is plaguing thousands across West Africa with illness and even death. In the modern age of science, it seems incomprehensible that there is not yet a vaccine for Ebola. Though the virus is an urgent health concern, pharmaceutical companies have few incentives to develop drugs to combat the disease. Read on to learn what happens when economic incentives do not align with public health needs, and what better solutions may exist for drug development.

What is the status of the Ebola outbreak and vaccine?

Ebola virus disease is characterized by fever, intense weakness, and muscle pain, leading to more severe symptoms. Ebola was initially transmitted by animals and is now spreading between humans through contact with bodily fluids. The outbreak was first detected in Guinea, by which time it had already spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Nigeria. A separate outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is believed to be unrelated to the outbreak in West Africa. The virus has primarily infected villages where there is extreme poverty and insufficient medical care to combat the spread of the virus.

Statistics

Mortality rates for the Ebola virus are well over 50 percent. Since March, Ebola has killed more than 1,500 people, making it the deadliest outbreak of the virus in human history. The World Health Organization estimates that the Ebola outbreak could affect 20,000 within the next nine months, and that roughly half a billion dollars is needed to stop the spread. Watch the video below for more information on the outbreak:

Vaccines

Ebola first appeared in 1976, yet nearly 40 years later no approved vaccination exists. In part this is due to the nature of the virus. Since incidents of Ebola are rare and occur in remote villages, it is difficult for scientists to effectively obtain samples and study the disease. Scientists cannot predict when an Ebola outbreak will occur, and even during a typical outbreak there are rarely enough people for a vaccine trial.

Since the outbreak, scientists are furiously working on an Ebola vaccine, and requests for approval are being fast-tracked. In the United States, the National Institutes of Health partnered with GlaxoSmithKline to develop a vaccine. The potential vaccine tested very well on primates, but the trial on humans only began on September 1. Initial data from the trial will not be available until late 2014. A number of other prototype vaccines are being worked on across the world.

Other Treatments

ZMapp was the experimental drug given to two Americans who contracted Ebola this year. While vaccines are designed to prevent future infections, ZMapp was designed to treat an existing Ebola infection. Both Americans who took the drug recovered, but the company that manufactured ZMapp has exhausted its supply.

What is the drug development process like?

Developing a new drug or vaccine is an extremely long process due to stringent regulation. Candidates for a new drug to treat a disease range anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 chemical compounds. Of these compounds, roughly 250 will show promise enough to warrant further tests on mice or other animals. On average, ten of these will then qualify for tests on humans. Since certain outbreaks, such as Ebola, do not lend themselves to have vaccines ethically tested on humans, the United States does provide a way for the drugs to be approved on animal tests alone.

Pre-clinical and clinical development for a new drug takes between 12 to 15 years, though the Ebola vaccine should come much sooner. Pre-clinical development includes testing the various chemical entities and meeting all regulations for use. Three sets of clinical trials are then conducted on humans. Clinical phases include trials on healthy humans to test for the safety of the drug. Testing then moves to those who are ill to see if the treatment is successful. If successful, the drug is submitted for further approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Other countries have similar regulatory bodies to the FDA. Internationally, the World Health Organization oversees which drugs can be used to combat a crisis like Ebola. Learn more details about the development process by watching the video below:

The problem is not that scientists lack the capability to create an Ebola vaccine, but rather that the economics of drug development do not entice companies to develop such a vaccine. Pharmaceutical companies estimate the cost of the entire process of developing a new drug to range from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars. Many times the drugs are not successful, in which case the companies have spent a huge amount of money and have no profit-making product. A Forbes analysis estimates that 95 percent of experimental drugs tested ultimately fail. Only one in five that reach the clinical trial phase are approved.

Given the low rate of success for potential drugs and the huge amounts of money that can be spent on research and development of drugs, cost plays a huge factor. In the United States, basic discovery research is funded primarily by government and philanthropic organizations. Development in later stages is funded mostly by pharmaceutical companies or venture capitalists.

Why do some see funding as a problem?

Funding for areas that support public health is a tricky issue. Since pharmaceutical companies are looking to make a profit, they have an incentive to make drugs that a large number of people will take and be on for a long time. Most research and development for these companies target diseases that affect wealthy people in primarily Western countries.

Targeting wealthier clients leads to a severe underinvestment in certain kinds of drugs. Diseases of poverty cannot compete for investment from financial companies looking for big return. Ebola infects relatively few and primarily affects the poor. Ebola is similar to diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, which kill two million people each year but still receive little attention from pharmaceutical companies. Watch the video below for more on the economics of drug development:

Neglected Tropical Diseases, a set of 17 diseases including Dengue Fever and Chagas Disease, affect more than one billion people each year and kill half a million. Most of these diseases could be completely eradicated, but the drugs are not widely available. One study found that of the more than 1,500 drugs that came to market between 1975 and 2004, only ten were aimed at these diseases.

Even though developing countries may experience an outbreak of a disease, the demand for new drugs is limited. In rural villages in Africa, many reject clinical drugs for diseases such as Malaria and Tuberculosis. Instead, they favor spiritual healers and herbal remedies.

What is being done to promote drug research of neglected diseases?

The Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) in the FDA was designed to advance development of products that could be used to diagnose or treat rare diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people. Orphan diseases do not traditionally receive much attention from pharmaceutical companies. The program provides a tax credit of up to 50 percent for research and development of drugs for rare diseases. When these drugs do become available, however, there is still no guarantee that patients will be able to afford them.

Since 1983 the OOPD program successfully enabled the development and marketing of more than 400 drugs and products. In the ten years prior, only ten of these products came to the market. Learn more about the OOPD with the video below:

Additionally, in 2007 the FDA created a voucher program to encourage research for neglected diseases. If a company receives approval for a drug for neglected diseases, it will receive a priority review voucher to speed up the review time for another application. Only four of these vouchers have been awarded so far.

Are there better ways to fund drug research?

Some argue that researching very rare diseases is not worth the time, and that instead research should be focused on more prevalent diseases. Companies will naturally invest in research for the most pressing concerns that offer the greatest opportunity for profit. Drug development for rare diseases should not be encouraged since the diseases occur so infrequently. Others argue research for rare diseases is essential to public health. The case of Ebola shows that even rare diseases can have a disastrous world impact.

Bioterrorism

Beyond public health, knowledge about the workings of any serious virus or disease is important to combat threats of bioterrorism. Concerns of bioterrorism are what led to Ebola research in the past. Serious threats of bioterrorism force the government to partner with research institutions to learn more about rare diseases. In March, the University of Texas and three other organizations received $26 million from the National Institutes of Health to find a cure for Ebola and the Marburg virus in case they were ever used for a bioterrorist attack. Other groups partnered with the Department of Defense to find an injectable drug treatment for Ebola.

Prizes

Prizes and grants are seen as ways to incentivize companies to develop drugs for diseases they might otherwise ignore. Financial incentives would encourage speedy development for an Ebola vaccine. The World Health Organization has looked into building a prize fund, where a centralized fund would reward drug manufacturers for reaching certain research goals. These tactics are more cost effective for the government, since they only have to pay if the product actually works. By creating grants for specific drugs, the government can pull research into neglected areas. Most prizes and grants, however, are not offered until a severe outbreak occurs, by which time many people are already in need of drugs.

Partnerships

Others point to room for greater partnerships between various entities for drug development. The greatest area for partnerships is between development groups and pharmaceutical companies. For instance, if a company pays to research and develop a product, the government could pay the company for the right to the product and could then promote the product itself without worrying about profit. In another case, GlaxoSmithKline and Save the Children arranged for someone from the charity to be on GSK’s research and development board, so the groups can share expertise and resources.

The Ebola outbreak indicates areas in which our current drug development model is lacking. People are dying because no Ebola vaccine exists. When pharmaceutical companies search only for profits, drugs for rare diseases go neglected. By expanding partnerships and offering greater prizes and financial incentives, the government can encourage drug research for these otherwise neglected diseases.

Resources

Primary

WHO: Ebola Virus Disease

FDA: Developing Products for Rare Diseases

CDC: Experimental Treatments and Vaccines for Ebola

Additional 

CNN: Ebola Outbreak: Is it Time to Test Experimental Vaccines?

Vector: De-risking Drug Development

Guardian: Funding Drug Development for Diseases of Poverty

Reuters: Scant Funds, Rare Outbreaks Leave Ebola Drug Pipeline Slim

Explorable: Research Grant Funding

Vox: We Have the Science to Build an Ebola Vaccine

American Society for Microbiology: Ebola Virus Pathogenesis

NBC: No Market: Scientists Struggle to Make Ebola Vaccines

Wall Street Journal: Two Start-Ups Aim to Change Economics of Vaccine Production

NPR: Would a Prize Help Speed Up Development of Ebola Treatments?

Harvard Global Health Review: Funding Orphan Drugs

LA Times: U.S. Speeds Up Human Clinical Trials

Washington Post: Why the Drug Industry Hasn’t Come Up with an Ebola Cure

New Yorker: Ebolanomics

Alexandra Stembaugh

Alexandra Stembaugh graduated from the University of Notre Dame studying Economics and English. She plans to go on to law school in the future. Her interests include economic policy, criminal justice, and political dramas. Contact Alexandra at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Incentives for Drug Development: The Case of Ebola appeared first on Law Street.