The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has dismissed as a hoax a message circulating on social media platforms calling on HIV positive Zimbabweans to volunteer for a research which will see them cured of HIV and also paid US$100 as an incentive for a blood sample.
The message read: “Notice from Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, there has been a new development in treatments of HIV and Aids resulting in some patients being viral free for the rest of their lives due to latest medicines on the market. We will be working in partnership with Terrence Higgins Trust UK in eradicating the disease by the end of 2017.
“We are looking for infected volunteers to go to Harare Hospital and Chitungwiza Hospital Sexual Health Departments and register. By doing so you will get US$100 and several exclusive treatments in UK but we will need to publish the register as part of our research. From the 20th of December 2016 people can register and collect their money on the day after giving a blood sample.
“For more info contact the two hospitals and help in reducing HIV cases in Zimbabwe”.
Hundreds of patients are said to have turned up at the two hospitals hoping to get their blood samples taken and also the US$100 incentive only to discover it was a hoax.
The Head of Communication and Knowledge Management at Southern African HIV and Aids Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS), Mrs Tariro Makanga-Chikumbirike, dispelled the rumours.
“There is a message circulating on Whatsapp encouraging people who are living with HIV to go to Harare and Chitungwiza hospitals and be recruited into an HIV research which is aimed at ending Aids and this message is purported to be coming from the Ministry of Health and Child Care. The ministry, however, would like to disssociate its from this message,” she said.
Mrs Makanga-Chikumbirike said a huge number of people from all over Zimbabwe turned up for the so-called research hoping to get paid and also to travel to the United Kingdom. Some, she said, used their hard earned money to travel and find accommodation with the hope of getting recruited.
“We encourage Zimbabweans to spread the word that it is not true, the ministry does not know of this research, even the Medical Research Council has not approved anything towards this said research,” she said.
The ministry is focusing on ending Aids by 2030 and this will be archieved by testing and treating all people found to be HIV positive.
