Sunday Tribune

Prayer no cure for HIV/AIDS

LETHU NXUMALO lethu.nxumalo@inl.co.za

THE SA Council of Churches (SACC) believes prescribing prayer as the miracle breakthrough to the HIV/AIDS pandemic is misleading following former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s claims of curing a couple through prayer.

As the world observed World Aids Day on Wednesday under the theme “End Inequalities. End Aids”, SACC expressed concerns over Mogoeng’s utterances, saying he could possibly encourage many living with HIV/AIDS to abandon their treatment in the hope of a miracle on offer from a pastor.

Addressing congregants in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape recently, Mogoeng alleged he had sent the disease packing through his faith. He claimed that a husband had infected the wife and that their child had succumbed to the illness.

“They became thin like this. Some mustard seed faith roused in me and I said: “Let me pray for you. In the name of Jesus you, spirit of HIV and Aids, leave,” he told the congregants.

“I forgot about the prayer and one day I saw them fat and asked what happened. They said: ‘Remember, after our child who was killed by Aids you prayed for us? We are healed,’ and I asked if they were taking tablets and they said: ‘No.’”

Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, SACC general secretary, said they believed in the power of prayer and that through prayer, miracles could be manifested. However, prayer and miracles were not a general solution to human health problems. “Miracles, when they happen, are a sign of God’s power. Today we have more user-friendly ARVS and as we pray, tomorrow we may have an HIV vaccine,” he said.

“Major scientific advancements have been made in HIV and Aids research in South Africa which stem from God-given skills and talents, and we as the SACC acknowledge and support the advancement of HIV and Aids research and treatments.”

Refilwe Phaswana-mafuya, professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Johannesburg, said pandemics thrived on inequality, as witnessed with Covid-19, and that in order to reach the sustainable development goal of an Hiv-free continent in 2030, radical action was required.

She said there was an urgent need to eliminate disparities and ensure availability of services to improve health and mitigate lack of access by expanding safety net programmes.

Phaswana-mafuya said South Africa had the largest epidemic in the world, with 7.5 million people living with HIV. About 19% of that population were between the ages of 15 and 49 and 71% of those infected were not on any treatment. She said the country

was faced with at least 200 000 new infections and 72 000 Aids-related deaths.

“We need to push beyond complacency and address underlying myths that HIV/AIDS is over. We cannot let our guards down. The response must be guided by who HIV is killing in disproportionate numbers for greater impact, focusing on where the need is most,” she said.

Felicita Hikuam, director at the Aids and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, reinforced that inequality be needed to be addressed. She said Covid-19 took the continent 10 steps back but had assisted in diverting attention to existing inequalies.

“Inequalities underpin stigma, discrimination and also enhance people’s vulnerability to acquire HIV, it makes people living with HIV more likely to die of Aids-related illnesses. We need to fix the gaps; this is not only important for the HIV response; it is also crucial for effective pandemic preparedness and response efforts.”

METRO

en-za

2021-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-05T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://sundaytribune.pressreader.com/article/281638193491514

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