The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have challenged Gambia to produce "evidence-based responses" to its claim of a cure for HIV/AIDS.Gambian President Yahya Jammeh recently announced his discovery of a traditional herbal treatment of the pandemic and so far, about 40 HIV/AIDS patients registered last month registered for the treatment in Banjul, the Gambian capital.
In a joint statement issued at the weekend in New York, UNAIDS and WHO stated: "We strongly encourage the Gambia to collaborate with international experts in efforts to assess the safety, efficacy and quality of the therapeutic intervention, according to standard practices in any product development".
The statement reiterated the importance of evidence-based approaches to AIDS treatment, as part of a comprehensive response to the epidemic.
It said, "sub-Saharan Africa carries the highest burden of the HIV infections and AIDS-related mortality in the world", emphasising that "no cure for AIDS exists. Once a person has been infected with HIV, he or she remains infected for life".
They also warned against substituting untested remedies for proven treatments. UNAIDS and WHO, therefore said: "Herbal remedies cannot take the place of comprehensive treatment and care for people living with HIV (including prophylaxis and treatment for opportunistic infections and highly active anti-retroviral therapy where indicated)".
"These treatments should not be stopped in favour of any such remedy," they added. They further cautioned that discontinuing anti-retroviral therapy "will lead to very serious adverse effects, and even death".
The agencies also said that countries and partners are therefore working together to accelerate access to HIV prevention, treatment and care to mitigate the impact of the epidemic in the African region.
In a related development, the agencies stated that they are promoting the use of combination anti-retroviral therapy, which can both prolong life and improve quality of life.
UNAIDS brings together the efforts and resources of 10 UN agencies to the global AIDS response. Co-sponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNIDO, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. UNAIDS currently works on the ground in more than 80 countries. 18 March 2007 - PANA
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