According to the Gombe-based Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), four of its members passed away as a result of utilising herbal HIV treatment.
Muhammad Ibrahim, the NEPWHAN programming officer, revealed this information on Thursday during a celebration of World AIDS Day in 2023.
He stated that a concerning trend in the state was the use of herbal medicine for HIV treatment, with many of its members using unreliable and unlicensed herbal items.
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Ibrahim called on the authorities and all relevant parties to step in and put a halt to the distribution of alternative HIV medications in Gombe.
He noted that vendors peddling herbal remedies were misleading a lot of HIV-positive patients, claiming to have found the cure for HIV.
The officer went on to say that many of the patients who had the herbal treatment had died as a result of complications and that there was no scientific proof to support the claims made by the herbal practitioners.
“A lot of our members are subscribing and using herbal medicine based on the information being spread by the hawkers of traditional medicine who are everywhere in Gombe. These people are openly advertising and claiming that they have discovered the treatment of HIV as a result a lot of our people are buying the medicine.
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“There is no scientific proof that the herbal treatments are real, so we want the government to look into this and do the needful. Anybody that claims to have found treatment for HIV should be identified and invited by the government to verify his claims and certify it before public sales and use,” he said.
Habu Dahiru, the Gombe commissioner of health, cautioned against using herbal remedies to cure HIV since they can have unfavourable side effects.
He counselled NEPWHAN members and other HIV-positive people to adhere to the established safety and efficacy of traditional antiretroviral medication. According to him, Gombe has made significant strides in the fight against HIV, with 95% of suspected cases being tested, 95% of those receiving medicine experiencing viral suppression.
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