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cremona Italian scientist investigated after animal cloning experiment
UNITEDNATIONS
Angola: a forgotten emergency
he conflict in Angola is receiving renewed attention with recent UN Security Council resolutions highlighting humanitarian needs and calling warring parties to respect humanitarian law and human rights. These resolutions come at a critical time in the Angolan conflict. According to Carol Bellamy, UNICEF’s Executive Director, “the longer-term outlook for Angola’s children is bleak indeed and the prognosis for the rest of this year points to a further worsening in prospects for child survival, development, and protection”. Angola’s two conflicting parties are the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (PMLA), now headed by José Eduardo dos Santos, Angola’s current president, and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas Savimbi. After Angola’s free elections in 1992, which Savimbi lost, hostilities were resumed because of Savimbi’s refusal to abide by the results. In 1994, the UN brokered the Lusaka Protocol peace accords, which held a fragile state of peace until last December. One of the consequences of the war has been the increase in the number of internally-displaced persons which has increased from 4000 in April, 1998, to more than 950 000 in June, 1999—close to one tenth of the country’s population. Angola’s dire situation is expected to deteriorate even further as day-to-day agricultural work is hindered by the fighting. Displaced people also face limited health care and social services and the
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constant threat of landmines buried throughout the country. Mine warfare has intensified, and fresh mines have been laid by the government around besieged cities to obstruct UNITA access. UNITA’s siege of Malanje has caused growing concern over starvation among the civilian population. Also, UNITA attacks in northern, northeastern, and central Angola are severely hindering international efforts to provide aid to the people. Hospitals in the main cities are virtually empty, devoid of all equipment and medicine. Children’s health has been particularly affected by the lack of food and health ser-
“Hospitals in the main cities are virtually empty, devoid of all equipment and medicine” vices. Aid workers have demanded that malnourished children be fed at distribution stations because some parents, desperate for food, have stolen their children’s rations. The World Food Programme (WFP) has recently found that almost 17% of refugees in the besieged city of Huambo are malnourished. An outbreak of polio this year has afflicted 1000 children: leaving many paralysed and 100 dead. Infant mortality rates in Angola are among the highest in the world. According to UNICEF’s 1998 State of the World’s Children report, the infant mortality rate in Angola is 170 per 1000 live births, and for children under 5 years old, the mortality rate is 292 per 1000 live births. By contrast,
in neighbouring Namibia the rates are 60 per 1000 live births and for under 5-year-olds 77 per 1000 live births. Almost one in five Angolan children is born with a low birth weight; about 1·5 million children live in a state of absolute poverty; and more than 100 000 are separated from their parents. Many Angolan girls are forced into prostitution and risk exposure to sexually transmitted diseases. Last February, the political situation became even more unpredictable after the withdrawal of the UN Angola Observation Mission (UNAOM), following a UN Security Council resolution to terminate its mandate. On April 14, the UN Security Council blamed UNITA for not reaching a peace agreement in Angola, and restated its demand that the rebels allow the dos Santos government to control the entire country. The UN Security Council should authorise a new UN mission to visit the country in the next few weeks. Currently, there are no indications that an accord between both parties is within reach. Although UNITA has suggested that peace talks should resume, the Angolan government has refused, claiming rightfully, that Savimbi has failed to abide by earlier peace treaties. Meanwhile, the situation continues to deteriorate. As Francesco Strippoli, UN humanitarian coordinator and WFP representative declared recently, “Angola cannot become a forgotten emergency because it is real, it is live, a tragic humanitarian situation”. César Chelala
Italian scientist investigated after animal cloning experiment
O
n Sept 24, Italian police detained two bulls and are investigating their veterinarian for allegedly having done banned animal-cloning experiments. Zoldo, a 7-year-old pedigree Bruna bull, was released from custody on Oct 5. The bull’s cloned son Galileo is still being kept at state horse stables, in Crema, Italy. The case began in December, 1996, when Cesare Galli (Laboratorio di Tecnologic della Riproduzione; Consorzio Incremento Zootecnico, Cremona, Italy) obtained and froze a nuclear transfer-derived bull embryo, which he then implanted in April, 1998. “A novelty concerning Galileo is
THE LANCET • Vol 354 • October 16, 1999
that he was cloned from an adult bull’s uncultured peripheral blood lymphocyte”, said Galli. The calf was born on Jan 26, 1999, and DNA tests have shown that Galileo and his father are genetically identical. On Sept 23, Galileo was exhibited at Cremona’s International Dairy Cattle Show. The next day, rumours that activists against cloning might interrupt the show prompted Galli to withdraw Galileo. Later that day Galli was questioned for 2 hours by a senior official from the health ministry, two university professors, and four military police officers. In March, 1997, the health ministry issued an “urgent and temporary” ban on human and animal
cloning. This ruling has been periodically renewed and in December, 1998, was modified to allow cloning of endangered species and cloning to produce drugs” capable of saving human lives”. Italy is in the process of ratifying a EU biotechnology directive allowing animal cloning. Meanwhile, Galileo is in good health and without signs of lymphoid hypoplasia says Galli (see Lancet 1999; 353: 1489-91). “Implications of this research”, he continues, “include human therapeutic cloning—a potential source of autologous grafts to treat degenerative diseases”. Bruno Simini
1365
Angola: a forgotten emergency
he conflict in Angola is receiving renewed attention with recent UN Security Council resolutions highlighting humanitarian needs and calling warring parties to respect humanitarian law and human rights. These resolutions come at a critical time in the Angolan conflict. According to Carol Bellamy, UNICEF’s Executive Director, “the longer-term outlook for Angola’s children is bleak indeed and the prognosis for the rest of this year points to a further worsening in prospects for child survival, development, and protection”. Angola’s two conflicting parties are the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (PMLA), now headed by José Eduardo dos Santos, Angola’s current president, and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas Savimbi. After Angola’s free elections in 1992, which Savimbi lost, hostilities were resumed because of Savimbi’s refusal to abide by the results. In 1994, the UN brokered the Lusaka Protocol peace accords, which held a fragile state of peace until last December. One of the consequences of the war has been the increase in the number of internally-displaced persons which has increased from 4000 in April, 1998, to more than 950 000 in June, 1999—close to one tenth of the country’s population. Angola’s dire situation is expected to deteriorate even further as day-to-day agricultural work is hindered by the fighting. Displaced people also face limited health care and social services and the
T
CREMONA
constant threat of landmines buried throughout the country. Mine warfare has intensified, and fresh mines have been laid by the government around besieged cities to obstruct UNITA access. UNITA’s siege of Malanje has caused growing concern over starvation among the civilian population. Also, UNITA attacks in northern, northeastern, and central Angola are severely hindering international efforts to provide aid to the people. Hospitals in the main cities are virtually empty, devoid of all equipment and medicine. Children’s health has been particularly affected by the lack of food and health ser-
“Hospitals in the main cities are virtually empty, devoid of all equipment and medicine” vices. Aid workers have demanded that malnourished children be fed at distribution stations because some parents, desperate for food, have stolen their children’s rations. The World Food Programme (WFP) has recently found that almost 17% of refugees in the besieged city of Huambo are malnourished. An outbreak of polio this year has afflicted 1000 children: leaving many paralysed and 100 dead. Infant mortality rates in Angola are among the highest in the world. According to UNICEF’s 1998 State of the World’s Children report, the infant mortality rate in Angola is 170 per 1000 live births, and for children under 5 years old, the mortality rate is 292 per 1000 live births. By contrast,
in neighbouring Namibia the rates are 60 per 1000 live births and for under 5-year-olds 77 per 1000 live births. Almost one in five Angolan children is born with a low birth weight; about 1·5 million children live in a state of absolute poverty; and more than 100 000 are separated from their parents. Many Angolan girls are forced into prostitution and risk exposure to sexually transmitted diseases. Last February, the political situation became even more unpredictable after the withdrawal of the UN Angola Observation Mission (UNAOM), following a UN Security Council resolution to terminate its mandate. On April 14, the UN Security Council blamed UNITA for not reaching a peace agreement in Angola, and restated its demand that the rebels allow the dos Santos government to control the entire country. The UN Security Council should authorise a new UN mission to visit the country in the next few weeks. Currently, there are no indications that an accord between both parties is within reach. Although UNITA has suggested that peace talks should resume, the Angolan government has refused, claiming rightfully, that Savimbi has failed to abide by earlier peace treaties. Meanwhile, the situation continues to deteriorate. As Francesco Strippoli, UN humanitarian coordinator and WFP representative declared recently, “Angola cannot become a forgotten emergency because it is real, it is live, a tragic humanitarian situation”. César Chelala
Italian scientist investigated after animal cloning experiment
O
n Sept 24, Italian police detained two bulls and are investigating their veterinarian for allegedly having done banned animal-cloning experiments. Zoldo, a 7-year-old pedigree Bruna bull, was released from custody on Oct 5. The bull’s cloned son Galileo is still being kept at state horse stables, in Crema, Italy. The case began in December, 1996, when Cesare Galli (Laboratorio di Tecnologic della Riproduzione; Consorzio Incremento Zootecnico, Cremona, Italy) obtained and froze a nuclear transfer-derived bull embryo, which he then implanted in April, 1998. “A novelty concerning Galileo is
THE LANCET • Vol 354 • October 16, 1999
that he was cloned from an adult bull’s uncultured peripheral blood lymphocyte”, said Galli. The calf was born on Jan 26, 1999, and DNA tests have shown that Galileo and his father are genetically identical. On Sept 23, Galileo was exhibited at Cremona’s International Dairy Cattle Show. The next day, rumours that activists against cloning might interrupt the show prompted Galli to withdraw Galileo. Later that day Galli was questioned for 2 hours by a senior official from the health ministry, two university professors, and four military police officers. In March, 1997, the health ministry issued an “urgent and temporary” ban on human and animal
cloning. This ruling has been periodically renewed and in December, 1998, was modified to allow cloning of endangered species and cloning to produce drugs” capable of saving human lives”. Italy is in the process of ratifying a EU biotechnology directive allowing animal cloning. Meanwhile, Galileo is in good health and without signs of lymphoid hypoplasia says Galli (see Lancet 1999; 353: 1489-91). “Implications of this research”, he continues, “include human therapeutic cloning—a potential source of autologous grafts to treat degenerative diseases”. Bruno Simini
1365