Four die after using HIV herbal medicine in Gombe

On Thursday, the Gombe State-based Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) revealed that four of its members had passed away as a result of purportedly using herbal HIV treatment.

At a Gombe event honouring World AIDS Day in 2023, Mr. Muhammad Ibrahim, the association's programme officer, made this declaration.

Ibrahim stated that the state's recent surge in the use of herbal therapy for HIV treatment was concerning because more of its members were turning to these unconventional drugs.

He emphasised how important it is for the state's authorities and other interested parties to control and monitor the spread of alternative HIV treatments.

Ibrahim claims that many HIV-positive patients who are frantically seeking a cure are choosing herbal remedies, and he also notes that many of them have passed away from taking the incorrect prescription.

“A lot of our members are subscribing and using herbal medicine based on the information being spread by the hawkers of traditional medicine who are everywhere in Gombe.

Many of our people are purchasing the medication as a result of these individuals' outright advertising and claims that they have found an HIV treatment.

“There is no scientific proof that the herbal treatments are real, so we want the government to look into this and do the needful.

“Anybody that claims to have found treatment for HIV should be identified and invited by the government to verify his claims and certify it before public sales and use,” Ibrahim said.

The state's commissioner of health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, also remarked that there was no scientific evidence to support the use of herbs to treat the illness.

Dahiru cautioned against using herbal remedies to treat HIV in NEPWHAN members and other HIV-positive individuals, pointing out that these mixtures can harm important organs.

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