What We Don't Need

Headlines and stories like this in the national newspaper:

The solution to HIV/AIDS crisis?

by Mduduzi Magagula

EZULWINI – A woman who was bedridden for over a year says she has been healed by a mixture of water and oxygen.
Sibongile (last name withheld to protect her) (37) said she has been suffering from a rare illness that caused sores all over her body. She preferred not to discuss her HIV status.
The disease also caused her to lose weight and confined her to bed for a whole year.
During that time, she was also not able to do anything by herself. She said she was turned away from many clinics she visited for her sickness.
"Health officers at the Mbabane Government Hospital told me that I should stay at home without offering any medication to help my situation," she said.
Her health condition continued to deteriorate until her niece introduced some foreigners to her who offered her a bottle of medication called Oxysilver. She said a week after taking the mixture the sores on her body started to heal and she was able to eat without assistance.

The story, which ran in the Sunday edition of the national newspaper and was advertised with just the above headline written on signposts throughout all the towns (one of 5 or six stories advertised), shouldn't surprise me, I guess.  A story about some AIDS cure or other like this runs every few months or so.  This time, apparently it's driven by an American "businessman" named John Kreitzer who does at least successfully run a website listing about 10 companies in different industries and pictures of himself with Barry Goldwater and other American luminaries.  He  has, according to a companion story, written to the king to say he'll bring "investment worth over US$2 billion (about E14 billion) to the Swazi economy" by starting a factory for his Oxysilver product here.  


I'm sure he will.


I'm also sure that another set of people who are already scared and confused by HIV will be even less sure about what works as this new week begins.  I guess it highlights what an important part continuing to try to educate journalists should play in the strategy to combat HIV.  For all I know Ms. Sibongile really did get better after drinking their magic water, but I'm also sure it didn't cure her HIV, if she is infected.