A nurse injected with malaria as part of a clinical trial will die within 48 hours if he does not get treatment.
Matthew Lloyd, 35, was due to be given a vaccine as the second part of his malaria trial, but did not turn up for his vaccine.
Police are now hunting for the ‘human guinea pig’ who is thought to have travelled from his home in Southampton to Birmingham, London and Milton Keynes and is in acute danger of dying from malaria.
Dt Insp Dave Jackson, of Hampshire police, said: “Our concerns for Matthew’s health are increasing because he needs urgent medication, which he does not have with him. Even the smallest detail could prove crucial in finding Matthew so he can receive his life-saving medication in time.”
Lloyd was injected with malaria as part of a clinical trial to test anti-malarial vaccines but he failed to attend the follow-up treatment at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on Thursday after phoning in sick to work.
Police have been able to track his movements by monitoring his mobile phone and bank accounts and are desperate to locate him.
Detective Inspector Becky Riggs said: “To put it bluntly, if he has not received medical attention within the next 24 or 48 hours it will be fatal.
“We are extremely concerned for Mr Lloyd’s wellbeing.”
Malaria, which was contracted by X Factor’s Cheryl Cole this year, can be fatal.
