WHO Replies Zimbabwean Preacher Who Claimed To Have Cure For HIV

WHO Replies Zimbabwean Preacher Who Claimed To Have Cure For HIV

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reaffirmed that there is “no cure” for HIV, even as it urged people living with HIV/AIDS to continue with Anti-Retroviral (ARV) therapy to manage their infections.

The UN Health made the reaffirmation after a local preacher in Zimbabwe reportedly claimed that he had received divine revelation of a herbal cure.

According to media reports, the Zimbabwean cleric had notified his congregation in the capital, Harare, on Sunday of the “cure” for HIV and AIDS.

He also reportedly claimed that a healing plant had been revealed to him by God, sparking a media outcry.

The nation’s largest newspaper, the Harare Herald, reported that his claims were scientifically baseless and that the Zimbabwean Government was actively discouraging the purchase of unapproved medicines.

UNAIDS statistics also stated that Zimbabwe recorded some 30,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2016, with well over one million people living with HIV in the same year.

However, while speaking on the matter, Dr Alex Gasaira, WHO’s representative in the country, explicitly stated that “there is no cure for HIV infection”.

“Those desperate for a cure should not abandon their ARV therapy,” the WHO official advised.

He explained that researchers working in the field had been advised to subject their treatments to the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health for proper clinical trials and procedures.

“Until a cure is verified, effective ARV drugs can control HIV infections and help prevent transmission, so that people with HIV, and those at substantial risk, can enjoy healthy, long and productive lives,” Gasasira added.