This may be one of my more aggressive and not so culturally competent blog post so I apologize if it offends anyone but I said I'd write about everything that was going on here in Botswana so here I go:
Today we went as a group to visit a local traditional healer in Gaborone. I went into this thinking that is would be the perfect opportunity for me to see and hear what the people who use traditional doctors listen to and experience. When we first sat down, I looked at all of the jars filled with herbs, tree roots, and other medicines. I also noticed a certificate on the wall recognizing the fact that the man was a registered traditional healer. I knew that it would be different than anything I have ever seen before but what I did not realize what I would find out would really disturb me. Also, just keep in mind this man was snorting straight nicotine about every 15 minutes during our session with him and uses animal bones to tell what maybe be someone’s illness (I don’t sound too skeptical do I?).
Traditional doctors claim to be able to fix and cure almost anything you can think of including marital issues and diseases. While I don’t personally believe in traditional medicine (maybe that’s just the hard science background I have), I can appreciate people using the herbs for simple, non-life threatening issues. The problem I had with the whole thing was the topic of curing HIV. Yes, this man claims he has a cure for HIV that is not the anti-retroviral drugs which are offered in clinics. What he claims will happen is he gives you an herb and tells you to drink a lot of water. Basically, it makes you urinate A LOT and is supposed to “cleanse” the body. That is the cure. Supposedly you go get tested afterwards and you test negative. BUT, he can only cure those who are strong. Those who are weak will not see success with the treatments.
Here is my problem with this:
1. 1. It is no wonder he can only treat those who are strong. People who have been infected with HIV for a longer period of time have their CD-4 blood counts drop to a point that they become weak and sickly. A person who has not yet reached that point could easily take some herbs which trick a test into testing negative OR raise their CD-4 count to just high enough to pass as being negative. In weaker people, he cannot do that. They have already passed the point of tricking the immune system.
2. 2. It is possible to test negative for HIV after a certain period of time of using ARVs but that does not mean you are negative. ARVs are used only to boost the immune system and cannot cure HIV. Once a person has tested negative for HIV after being on ARVs, they are still infected. They can still spread HIV. The same goes for traditional remedies. Once a person is infected, he or she will remain infected for the rest of his or her life. Period
3. This is the same country that has the second highest rate of HIV and AIDS in the world. I am not surprised. I’m sure other countries have traditional doctors which do the same things but right now, I’m focused on Botswana. If you tell a person they will be cured by a herbal remedy and they believe that, they will live their lives as if they are not infected. This is going to lead to MORE infections and MORE patients. One of my professors told me that we don’t know all routes of HIV being spread because it continues at a rapid pace despite the ARVs being offered. I thought she was crazy but I know now that THIS is the route she was looking for. This is how people are continuing to spread this disease.
4. 4. He charges P750, over $100, for these treatments. ARVs, a medically proven and tested medicine, are FREE IN ALL CLINICS! ARVs are used forever once they are started because doctors know HIV does not just go away. People should be using the treatment which continues to protect their health and should be advised that despite their good CD-4 counts, they are still infected and can still infect others.
The larger issue at hand is that people are going to these doctors in order to find cures. There is NO CURE for HIV. ARVs are used to prolong the life of a patient and to increase their immune system. That does not mean they cannot still spread HIV. If people want to use traditional healers, that is fine but the government needs to find a way to either regulate or ban the treatment of HIV by traditional healers here. I know I am being extremely opinionated right now but this is a MAJOR health issue around the world and what I just saw today is doing so much harm to all the progress which has been made by this government. Providing free ARVs could be the cure to their high rates of HIV and teaching them about prevention but if this crack-pot and others like him are promoting the ideas that HIV is curable, the situation will never change. The fact that he does not take money until after people are “cured” is supposed to make me believe he is actually helping these people but again, it is possible to get your blood count to a level that you will test negative but that DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE NEGATIVE! Ugh, I am so frustrated right now but happy beyond belief that I saw this because, while this is not the only reason HIV is a big problem here, I believe it has a serious impact.
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