Sh500 Million Set Aside for AIDS Research. 15/10/10
Africa Aids Working Group (AAWG) has set aside Sh500 million to help finance implementation of the second phase of research
By Rosin John
15 October 2010
Dar Es Salaam — Africa Aids Working Group (AAWG) has set aside Sh500 million to help finance implementation of the second phase of research on HIV/Aids alternative therapy from herbal plants.
Speaking with journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday Mr Hussain Noor Muhammad, the chairman of AAWG, said the second phase of the research comprised identifying the herbal plants and exploring the possibility of manufacturing tablets which would help people living with HIV/Aids.
"We have succeeded in our first phase of the project and we are able to introduce herbal medicine which is more effective," he said.
According to Mr Muhammad, the project is based on ten standardized herbal plant extracts from medicinal plants at specified dosages for the management of HIV/Aids cases.
On his part, Dr Zacharia Mbwambo, senior research fellow and director of the Institute of Traditional Medicine at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), said the first phase of the research in which Sh700 million was spent is aimed at establishing the efficiency of the plants in dealing with HIV and Aids.
According to the doctor, research carried out in cooperation with the Tanzania Commission for Aids (Tacaids) has established that the herbal medicine was effective in treating opportunistic infections.
He said that the research started at Muhimbili National Hospital, through follow up on patients who used the herbal medicine, with results revealing that 485 patients who used the medicine registered an improvement in their health conditions as their CD4 counts increased.
"We noticed that the plants were capable of assisting patients to increase their CD4 counts and treating opportunistic infections," he said.
Africa Aids Working Group (AAWG) is a local organization which focuses on health issues, especially on HIV/Aids. Their main research has been on the pandemic since the last eight years.
The group's work now is to introduce herbal medicine into the community to ensure a healthy life for the infected people. According to the National Aids Control Program, the prevalence rate of infection in the country is 5.7 percent.