Since the advent of HIV/AIDS, the human world has no longer been the same. In every corner of the globe, this virus has spread rapidly causing an epidemic and threatening the very fiber of human survival. This is compounded by the realization that a cure for this virus has not yet been discovered. The whole of humanity has responded overwhelmingly in solidarity with profound concern and steadfast resolve in its anxious need for courageous hope in dealing with the consequences of this virus.
With great determination and against all odds, the struggle against HIV/AIDS has made some remarkable advancement in its stubbornness to ensure that humanity prevails against this virus. The good news is that an HIV+ person has chances of not developing AIDS and can stay healthy and live a perfectly normal life with or even without ART. The better news is that although AIDS is incurable at the moment, every symptom of AIDS is treatable and curable. The best news is that HIV is completely preventable and that ‘prevention’ works. Information, knowledge and education are ‘power’ to overcome fears and doubts of the HIV epidemic.
In the race against time, while all efforts have been garnered to find solutions to address the issue of HIV/AIDS in a constructive manner, there have been instances when individuals have claimed to have found a cure for the virus. Such claims need to be proven scientifically and medically. Consequently, uncertified claims of cure for diseases, particularly in cases such as HIV/AIDS raise serious concerns. False claims are misleading and can be destructive to the society as a whole which can cause psychological damage with direct and indirect harm on the patient. It is essentially important that appropriate measures are in place to protect the people from such claims.
The Supreme Court of India defines a ‘quake’ as a “person who does not have knowledge of a particular system of medicine but practices in that system.” There are a number of statues enacted to prohibit a quack from practicing and provide legal remedies against quacks who claim to have cures, improvement in immunity where there is no scientific basis for claim. For instance, in a cased filed in the Bombay High Court against persons claiming a cure for HIV/AIDS, an interim order has been passed prohibiting them from advertising, publishing leaflets, posters, etc or putting materials on the website claiming a cure for HIV/AIDS. In Kerala there are cases pending against one Majeed who claimed cure for HIV/AIDS.
This brings the issue to a news item report wherein two traditional doctors from Nagaland claimed to have found a traditional cure for HIV/AIDS and medicines for cancer. They claimed to have cured eight people suffering from HIV/AIDS with medicines prepared from herbs and plant extracts. This was made known during the recently concluded North East Agri Expo - 2006. The report indicated that the doctors do not have any registration or authorization from the Drug Authority, and yet the medicines were being sold openly at the Expo; attracting large number of people. They further claimed to have provided treatment to about 150 people daily, with no fee till the patient is cured.
Keeping in light AIDS scenario in Nagaland and the seriousness of the claim made, the organizers of the North East Agri Expo – 2006 and the concerned authorities responsible for HIV/AIDS in Nagaland should take appropriate initiative to verify the genuineness of this claim!
