Zambia Medical Association calls for collaboration on HIV/AIDS research between doctors, herbalists

Conventional doctors and traditional herbalists in Zambia must collaborate on quality research for potential HIV/AIDS treatments to help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, Zambia Medical Association President Swebby Macha said recently, Xinhua News Agency reports.

According to Macha, many herbalists are producing products that falsely claim to cure AIDS, and people living with the disease purchase the counterfeit remedies.

Macha said it is important for licensed health care providers and policymakers to collaborate with traditional herbalists to determine the safety, efficacy and composition of herbal HIV/AIDS treatments.

"Africa may not see the last of these HIV/AIDS herbalists who are keen to exploit an already sad scenario which has also been worsened by lack of clear government policy to guide the research of the cure of HIV/AIDS," Macha said (Xinhua News Agency, 11/4).