FAKE HERBALIST IN TOWN

Sunday Chronicle 1 May 2011

There has been a fake herbalist in town for the past 5 years by the name of Lansy Lapu. He claims to have a cure for HIV/AIDS.

But he has never proven this and has passed the buck on to the Department of Health. It is all their fault says he. He wants them to test his herbal cure but they will not. So they can not blame him for selling his mixture without a license. Clever hey?

He claims to have people cured of HIV infection and back to normal. Giaman. Tricks. 

It is the oldest trick in the book. A person comes to you and says he is sick. You ask him a number of leading questions that bring the conclusion that he might be HIV positive.

Ah yes. HIV positive. That’s what it is. OK now. Buy this bottle of medicine for K10. It will take a week. Come back and I will check you in 10 days time.

Ten days: Ah yes. Your HIV is improving. Take one more bottle K10 and come back.

After 2 months and K250 later, the herb seller announces that the person looks wonderful. I think you are cured. Go to the VCCT clinic and have a test.

The person does not go. He knows when he is cured. Lansy Lapu has cured him of HIV/AIDS. He has gone down in the book of cures. He is number 73 to be cured. Congratulations!

The real approach will never be used by herb tricksters. Go to the VCCT clinic and have a test. Bring the paper back to me. Not positive? Go home.

HIV positive? Have this medicine. It all falls to pieces from here. If the person really is HIV positive, taking Lansy Lapu’s medicine will do no good. It is best to diagnose away from the Department of Health.

At the end of the month, the person is still HIV positive and the fake medicine has done no good. That is why Lansy does not want to go anywhere near the Department of Health.

Sadly, there are people who are really HIV positive and may be convinced to stop their ARV treatment and start Lapu’s bog water. Then they die.

As it is Lansy Lapu decides if the person has HIV infection. That is surely the work of a doctor. He then decides if the person is cured. It is easy to cure a person who is HIV negative.