‘Herbal tests for AIDS cure encouraging’

CLINICAL laboratory tests carried out by the Ministry of Health on some herbal preparations for the treatment of HIV/AIDS have yielded encouraging results.

Six Ghanaian herbalists are taking part in the exercise, which has been going on for five years now, to arrive at the scientific composition and acceptable consumption levels of their products.

It is taking place at the Mampong-Akuapem Centre for Scientific Research into Plants Medicine and in other health institutions.

Dr E. N. Mensah, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, who disclosed this, however, said investigations are ongoing to establish the scientific formulation and other requisite data before the Ministry of Health would come out with a definite statement on the issue.

Dr Mensah was reacting to claims by some herbalists in the country that they had come out with herbal preparations that could cure HIV/AIDS.

Journalists who attended the Meet-the-Press for the Ministry of Health in Accra yesterday, also wanted to know the kind of assistance the ministry is providing in support of the herbalists.

According to the Director-General, there has been great improvements in the immune system of some AIDS patients who were administered some of the herbal preparations.

Dr Mensah cited the case of some patients who had become extremely weak as a result of the collapse of their immune system but have made great improvements upon using the preparations, and also that of a woman who had ceased menstruating but started having her period when she took some of the preparations.

He explained that it has taken such a long time for the efficacy of the herbal preparations to be established because the reagents being used for the clinical trials are very expensive.

Moreover, he said, since the drugs are meant for human consumption, it is important that the correct chemical compositions are established to avoid any catastrophic consequences on the users in the long term.

Dr Mensah gave the assurance that when the ministry is fully satisfied with findings on the investigations and clinical trials, it will come out with data to inform the entire world about the efficacy or otherwise of it.

Earlier addressing the gathering, the Minister of Health, Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo, observed that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is the current most important threat to health and development.

He said with the prevalence rate of four to five per cent, “the potential for an explosion is ever present unless very serious measures are taken.”

He said the ministry’s new HIV/AIDS policy and strategy is to ensure a concerted national response to the problem instead of leaving the solution solely in the hands of health professionals.

Prof. Danso-Boafo, therefore, called on the media to support the fight to avert an explosion of the HIV/AIDS problem.