HERBALIST CLAIMS AIDS CURE

In the Papua New Guinea Sunday Chronicle 18 April 2011, we

read that herbalist Lansy Lapu is back again this time talking of a

herb that he uses to cure HIV/AIDS. Now he is using a case study

to prove that he can cure the person with the virus.

Lapu seems to have some relationship with the Sunday Chronicle

over the years. He used to put advertisements into this newspaper

claiming AIDS cures. Then he had journalist Tereni Kens talking

about Government support. Now he has Cassie Taso writing the

present article.

This time a man Joe Lamark had come forward to say that he 

contracted HIV infection. He was not aware of this until he had

a bad cough and diarrhoea. His weight dropped from 70 kg to

30 kg and his CD4 count went from above 350 down to 90.

He said he was taken to the Port Moresby General Hospital and

diagnosed HIV positive. He took ARV for a week but had side

effects. Lamark’s father brought Lansy Lapu to his son’s bedside

and he was given the herb. From then he has picked up in health

and is now up to 60 kg.

Lapu wants the Government to support herbalists like him.
But onus is on him to take his mixture for testing. The usual
excuse of all medicine pushers is the Government will steal
the recipe. They will never take the stink water for testing.

The report above raises more questions that it answers. How long
had Joe Lamark been infected? Dropping in weight and low CD4
count means he may have had the virus for several years. Weight
of 30 kg means that he was probably in final stages. Yet he had
just started ARV. It does not sound true.

Is Joe Lamark a real identity? Does he have papers from his visit

to Port Moresby General Hospital that confirm that he was HIV
positive?  Are these his papers? Does he have a photo of himself
at 30kg?

The newspaper report makes no claim of a cure. At the very best

the herb could drop the viral load in the blood and allow gut lining

to heal.

We must remember that it is easy to cure a person of HIV/AIDS if

not HIV positive in the first place. It seems Lansy Lapu is coming

to know the details of HIV infection. That may be part of the trick.

There is a standard trick in dealing with people claiming to be HIV

positive. They come to ask for medicine for the HIV infection and

are sold a bottle. They finish the bottle and come back for another

bottle. And another and another.

They feel good and the herb seller cheers and gives thanks to God

that he has cured one more. But the fact is that the person had a
bad case of dropsy and was never HIV positive.

If Lansy Lapu is serious, let him have his mixture tested. It is a cheap

trick to keep calling on the Government for support. In reality he may

well have no intention of having his mixture tested. Calling on the

Government and doctors is part of the gimmick.

When a herbalist is about to help a person, there should be a test to

start with. If positive, then treatment. But when treatment is finished,

there should be a final test. If negative, then we have a cure.