Brazzaville, 31 August 2005 -- The World Health Organization has called on African governments, civil society, NGOs and development partners operating in the region to strengthen the role of African traditional medicine and its practitioners in HIV prevention interventions.

The call was made by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, in his message on the occasion of African Traditional Medicine Day which falls on 31 August of every year. The Day is being observed this year under the theme African Traditional Medicine: Contributing to preventing HIV Infection.

Dr Sambo said that because traditional health practitioners were well integrated in their societies which also held them in very high esteem, they could be trained to become powerful change agents in the drive to tame the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the region.

He said: “Trained traditional health practitioners are well placed to stimulate communities and fellow traditional health practitioners to critically analyze traditional cultural practices and beliefs such as circumcision, tattooing and other practices which necessitate the cutting of the skin with non-sterilized and unwashed knives of razor blades”. It is well known that the use of these non-sterilized instruments may result in HIV infection or hepatitis transmission.

The Regional Director added that Traditional Birth Attendants trained in obstetric techniques would ensure safe birth practices and minimum exposure to blood during childbirth. They could also be used to reach pregnant women, adolescents, girls and women of child-bearing age with appropriate messages and information on family life and sexuality, behaviour change and safe sexual practices, including condom use.

Dr Sambo also said that given their vantage propositions in society, traditional health practitioners were also well placed to promote abstinence and fidelity within marriage and discourage the belief in some quarters that having sex with virgins or babies was a cure for HIV/AIDS.

The Regional Director disclosed that the Regional Office would include HIV prevention in all WHO’s regional programmes related to HIV/AIDS while continuing to provide technical support to countries in the region.

“WHO will provide clear guidance on actions to be taken by countries, advocate for sustained financial resources for HIV prevention, develop partnership with civil society networks and community – and faith-based organizations, and provide support to ministries of health to strengthen health systems and document and disseminate best practices in HIV prevention”, Dr Sambo said.

WHO is committed to implementing the plan of action for the Decade of African Traditional Medicine (2001-2010) declared in July 2001 by African Heads of State and Government, he added

The just-concluded fifty-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa adopted a resolution which declared 2006 as “Year for Acceleration of HIV Prevention in the African Region.”

HIV/AIDS, a major challenge in the region, kills at least two million people in sub-Saharan Africa every year. In 2004 alone, more than three million new HIV infections were recorded, 50% of these among young people aged between 15 and 24. The escalating risk of infection is especially evident among women and girls who make up two thirds of the young people living with HIV/AIDS in the region.

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