SWAZILAND: Prominent traditional leader condemns AIDS drugs

Swaziland's AIDS control programme received a set back this month in the shape of a prominent traditional healer who has condemned the use of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.

"Why do we spend money on something which does not cure the disease but makes the situation worse?" Nhlavana Maseko, president of the Traditional Healer Organisation (THO), asked at an AIDS rally in the eastern provincial capital, Siteki.

Maseko criticised the rollout of ARVs, which were introduced in earnest this year, because of the unpleasant side effects of some of the drugs. Swaziland has the world's highest HIV prevalence rate at close to 40 percent of the adult population.

"The money should be used in finding the cure for the disease involving both traditional healers and medical doctors," Maseko said at the rally, hosted by the Alliance of Mayors Initiative for Community Action Against AIDS at the Local Level.

ARVs are not a cure for AIDS, but they suppress the virus and can extend people's lives.

"Many different people need to be educated. ARVs are new to the country, but we are very sure that they work," Sibusiso Dlamini, coordinator for care and support for the National Emergency Response Committee on HIV/AIDS, told PlusNews.

The committee distributes money from government, private groups, and the Geneva-based Global Fund to local NGOs involved in AIDS-related programmes.

"Many workshops have been conducted by the ministry of health for traditional healers. But in terms of ARVs, there haven't been many. We see using Global Fund money next year to train them – traditional healers and everyone else," said Dlamini.

Other health officials have accused Maseko of campaigning for a cabinet post after he called for the creation of a ministry solely devoted to traditional healers.

"This is the same person who condemned condoms to prevent the spread of HIV when the virus was just setting foot in the country in the late '80s. Having contributed to the spread of HIV, he is now disparaging the ARV rollout that can prolong the lives of people living with HIV," a health ministry source said.

Many Swazis respect and rely on traditional medicine and healers in what has remained a highly conservative society.

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