Archive - April 2015

The Peace Corps Mourns the Loss of Volunteer David Ripley WASHINGTON, D.C., April 2, 2015 – Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet is saddened to confirm the death of Peace Corps volunteer David Ripley. David, 29, passed away while visiting Tanzania on March 31, 2015. “David was a deeply compassionate and empathetic person, which in turn made him an extraordinary Peace Corps volunteer,” Hessler-Radelet said. “He was committed to putting his experience to work improving the lives of those in his community of service, and was seen as a leader among his fellow volunteers. We are devastated by his loss, and the thoughts and prayers of the entire Peace Corps family are with the Ripley family during this difficult time.” A native of Palmetto, Fla., David served as a health volunteer in Rwanda. He worked at community health centers and read books to children regularly at the Kigali Reading Center. He . . .

A comment on the WSJ Law Blog: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2015/03/27/former-peace-corps-volunteers-sues-over-malaria-drug/ Commander Bill Manofsky USN(ret) wrote this comment in the Wall Street Journal following the article that appeared about RPCV Sara Thompson (Burkina Faso 2010-12) Sueing The Peace Corps Over Malaria Drug Mefloquine was invented by the US Army at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) during the Vietnam War. For a history of how poorly this was handled, do a Google search for the full text version of the article “A lesson learnt: the rise and fall of Lariam and Halfan” written by Dr. Ashley Croft, former infectious disease specialist for the British military and their expert on Lariam.
The drug was approved by the FDA as a treatment for malaria in 1976 and as a prophylaxis in 1989. In both situations, the safety trials were skipped. The 1989 testing was performed by the CDC on healthy Peace Corps volunteers. The US Army . . .