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Mozambican healers join government in fight against AIDS.
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1995
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NursingTraditional MedicineSexual HealthMedical EthicsTraditional HealersAlternative MedicineGlobal HealthTreatment And PreventionSouth AfricaInternational HealthMedical AnthropologyBioethicsHivPublic HealthMedicineAids PathogenesisSexual And Reproductive HealthStandard Medical Care
Mozambique is using, in conjunction with standard medical care, traditional healers (curandeiros) for people infected with HIV. Such healers provide advice on everything from watching diets to abstaining from sex. This approach is being used because of the scarcity of physicians within the country where AIDS cases are estimated to number in excess of 10,000. The curandeiros are trusted advisors within the country. These healers are able to penetrate the culture and educate the population about AIDS where such educational efforts are considered taboo. While the results of these actions are still pending, similar activities used in South Africa proved encouraging.