I write this latest post on the back of reading a news story on the current ‘Whoonga’ drug craze that is gripping South Africa. A drug that has antiretroviral drugs, the drugs used to treat HIV incorporated into it. HIV and AIDS have been at epidemic proportions in Africa, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa where 22.5 million people are currently infected. South Africa is currently home to 5.6 million people infected with HIV and AIDS with the highest prevalence found in 33% of women between the ages of 25-29, and 25% of men between the ages of 30-35 infected with HIV and/or AIDS. Although the incidence rate in South Africa is reducing (the number of new cases per year) there are still clearly a huge number of people living with HIV and AIDS and the associated consequences of a highly stigmatised condition.
‘Whoonga’ is a very potent mix of antiretroviral drugs (the drugs used to treat HIV) rat poison, detergent and marijuana all crushed and mixed together before being smoked, with the individual smoking the drugs very quickly hooked. However, conflicting stories have come out over whether ‘Whoonga’ does actually contain antiretroviral drugs, and even if they did they wouldn’t deliver the high that conventional narcotics do. What is clear is that the dealers selling the drugs at 30 Rand per packet (anyone who has been to South Africa knows this is a hefty price for anyone from a township) claim that the antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are present and as such installing a mentality to the users that the ARV’s is what they crave. Stories have emerged that ‘Whoonga’ users are stealing ARV’s from hospitals, clinics, and mugging patients for their potentially life extending drugs. This, although deplorable, could be expected from an incredibly poor population addicted to a fairly common, free prescriptive drug, yet which is very expensive buying illegally from dealers. However, what this drug craze is fuelling is an underground market of drug cartels stealing antiretroviral drugs from hospitals and selling them to dealers. A Johannesburg police officer has already been implicated in such a crime. This is something that could compromise South Africa’s fight against HIV and AIDS with ARV’s becoming more difficult to get hold of for both clinics and patients because of a fear of theft and misuse.
With drugs more difficult to get hold of, the needy patient may become more desperate and seek more traditional and unconventional modes of treatment. I myself spent some time in Ghana a couple of years ago, and am familiar with this. Routinely, people claiming to be doctors would be selling HIV and AIDS soap – ‘wash away your HIV.’ The ‘doctors’ would visit small rural villages, visit those who couldn’t get to hospitals, and these locals would buy the soap. Of course there is no science behind anti-HIV soap and it is a complete con. One which even the hardiest of holistic/pseudoscience/complementary medicine Gillian McKeith supporters would find hard to defend. But desperate people do desperate things.
I recently watched an excellent programme by Sir Paul Nurse, the new president of the Royal Society. One of the people he met whilst investigating how science is portrayed and understood was an American man who had HIV and was given a prognosis of 3 years. He discarded his ARV drugs as soon as he was given them and began a diet comprising of a high number of probiotic yoghurts... 13 years later he is still alive and kicking... I don’t think I need to explain that neither bifidus digestivum or L.Casei Danone have antiretroviral properties, although it seems there may be a niche for an anti-HIV soap in the American market...
I believe that the current Whoonga craze in South Africa could detrimentally affect the fight against HIV and AIDS although what is far more important is the education of young people in transmission and safety.
“Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach.”
Aristotle.
Unfortunately, statistics are hard to find on the impact of ‘Whoonga’ due to it being a fairly recent development. Many of the stories are anecdotal and possibly open to interpretation. Having said that, the statistics I laid out in the first paragraph over the prevalence and incidence of HIV and AIDS in sub Saharan Africa are not open to interpretation and should be food for thought for everyone.
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