We had a set back in the treatment of HIV in Zambia this week when
rumors got out that a batch of drugs from the Netherlands was
contaminated and people were getting sick. In many people's minds,
there is still a undercurrent of belief that HIV was a disease
deliberately introduced by the west to kill Africans; rumors like this
pop up from time to time that play on those beliefs and fears. Well,
this time the government did independent testing of the batch of drugs
and found that they were 'contaminated'; at this point the rumor changed
to the fact that these drugs were causing cancer in the people who took
them, something that I think would be highly unlikely given the
time-course of cancer and the nature of most carcinogens. At this point
the government issued a statement that this batch of ARV's might cause
cancer; in translation to the local language this became simply
'anti-HIV drugs can cause cancer'. Yesterday we were beset with at
least a dozen people wanting to stop their drugs; who knows how many
more have simply stopped taking them at home, leaving us wide-open for
the development of resistance of the HIV virus to standard treatment in
the area. I have a feeling that this dealt a serious blow to trust for
years to come. Our Zambian doctor on staff, Dr. Mutimushi, contacted
the ministry yesterday asking for a new statement to be released to
clarify, but I think the damage has already been done.
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