With crown, Rinke de Wit relives the HIV pandemic, which he has been researching for years in Ethiopia. “It all has to do with global solidarity. How do we deal with pandemics? We fly around the world, we are together in large groups, we produce massive food with chicken and cow farms.”
Corona infection lasts longer, therefore more chances of mutations
According to Rinke de Wit, Africa has 25 million HIV patients. “They have a weakened immune system, due to HIV. Consequently, a covid infection takes longer for them than for someone who does not have HIV. A virus like this therefore has more time to mutate. We have already seen a lot. of mutants from Africa, so I think we would do well to at least preventively vaccinate patients with HIV “.
Rinke de Wit is active for PharmAccess, a non-profit organization committed to improving healthcare in Africa. You praise the continent’s drive for innovation. “There are just as many people in Kenya with a smartphone, who are also starting digital businesses. I think the entrepreneurial spirit in Africa is much further away than in the Netherlands among young people.”
