Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Loliondo life-saving Drink: PLHIV beware risking ARV resistance!


The east African community recently woke up to a new dawn. A dawn of blessing and healing. What is more valuable than good health? This has been evidenced by the throngs of people pushing and pulling, kicking and wrestling in an effort to reach Northern Tanzania; the destination with the promise of life, and not only life but a healthy life. People have travelled even overnight from central and eastern Kenya to get a taste of the healing drink. Some by vehicle, others by flight and others on relatives' backs! Its traumatic even to reach there, leave alone getting the drink itself.

Enter Mzee Mwasapile from Northern Arusha in Tanzania. God has spoken to him about some herbs which experts say may be deadly but Mwasapile and the faithful behind him are fully convinced that it can heal. Some have disputed this message with hospitals suggesting that this miracle healer has "robbed them of their patients." Dr. Julius Mbuya of Arusha's St Stephen's hospital recently said that some HIV positive patients have gone to him after neglecting their ARVs, lamenting that the drink did not work.

Mzee Mwasipire is a busy man. According to him the medicine cannot work unless he serves it himself and from where he lives. From his little mud-hut hygiene is not guaranteed. Though the medicine is boiled fully, perhaps to produce the desired color, there is a threat of more infectious sicknesses than Mwasipire can heal. Mwasipire serves thousands of thousands of people every day. TB is airborne and as people are scrambling for this drink (remember they are patients) there is a possibility of TB transmission.

The Tanzanian government had earlier this month suspended this drink until it has been tested in the government laboratory. The suspension was later rescinded due to a pubic cry of demand. But the government ought to consider the effects of those on ARV treatment stopping their treatment and taking the drink instead: failure to adhere to ARV treatment may lead to drug resistance. People living with HIV and using ARVs should be aware of these facts before they gamble their lives with this drink. In conjunction the government should intensify drug adherence seminars lest this life saving drink turn to be a slow killer.

The hygiene involved in the serving of this drink is also really wanting.The cups are metal and no one is clear if they are well washed while serving this drink considering the thousands of people thronging the service venue. I would advise this healer either to seek reinforcement from some donor or the government of Tanzania to buy disposable cups or to hike the price of the drink in order to purchase the cups. If this does not work, perhaps a patient can come with a bottle or some other container to get the fill! Whether this drink is medicinal or poisonous, the beneficiaries have a tale to tell.

All in all this miracle drink has opened the eyes of many at how desperately people can desire their lives. I wish people were more eager to adhere to ARVs as they are to reach this drink which is not even medically proven yet. As an adherence counselor, I would be very glad if this drink did work for people living with HIV, but the reality is that it is likely to cause deaths which could have otherwise been avoided.

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