By Pat Roxborough,
Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
AT LEAST three government regulatory agencies say they plan to investigate a woman who claims that she has found a cure for AIDS, the deadly disease.
Linda Williams, 52, who describes herself as a "healing specialist", dispenses and sells the potion for $1,000 per bottle from her offices in Montego Bay, St. James, and Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland. She attracted the attention of the Fair Trading Commission and two departments in the Health Ministry which say her activities are illegal and dangerous.
"Any product that is being sold for the cure of AIDS would have to be prescribed by a doctor and approved by us," said Princess Thomas-Osbourne, director of the Ministry of Health's Pharmaceutical and Regulatory Affairs Division.
"If our drug inspectors find the product, they will seize samples and she could be fined up to $50,000. We have been receiving reports of these illegal activities and they are frightening because while persons infected with HIV are pursuing these 'cures', it (the virus) is progressing to full-blown AIDS. People with AIDS are supposed to be under proper medical supervision," Mrs. Thomas-Osbourne, said.
The issue also disturbed Lois Owen, registrar of the Pharmacy Council, which supervises the sale of drugs in Jamaica.
"I will be sending one of my inspectors to investigate, then I will be able to comment further," she said.
Mrs. Williams told The Gleaner yesterday that the brown drink, a secret blend of herbs which she sells in unlabelled pint bottles, was not registered. But she insisted that it was as bona fide as various herbal remedies that had been approved by the government.
"I have healed a lot of people. There are a lot of things people don't know. When my patients come I immediately find out which part of the immune system has broken down and I know what to give them to build it up back", she said.
Mrs. Williams told The Gleaner that she has, so far, treated 16 AIDS sufferers.
"I tell them to drink one wine glass of it (the cure) every night before they go to their bed. Some have been cured some are still undergoing treatment," she said.
But Barbara Lee, Executive Director of the Fair Trading Commission, wasn't impressed by Mrs. Williams's claims which have been advertised in the press.
"Off the cuff I would say that medically we are told that AIDS and Herpes are incurable, so her advertising of a cure for these diseases would seem a case of misleading advertising contrary to section 37 of the Fair Trading Act," said Mrs. Lee, who took over the reins of the FTC yesterday.
The Fair Trading Act prescribes a $1-million fine for individual offenders and $5-million for companies.
Mrs. Lee told The Gleaner the commission would investigate the matter, which she said was serious.
Professionals responsible for battling the spread of the disease, which has wiped out 3,882 people in Jamaica between 1982, when the first case was reported here, and September, 2000, said yesterday that people like Mrs. Williams were "dangerous and to be avoided."
Apart from Mrs Williams, a man who styles himself as "the Reverend Dr..." has been advertising a cure for AIDS, as well as for other diseases. He carries a medicine bag and sports the white and green bushjackets that some real doctors wear, but an AIDS patient who visited his office told The Gleaner she wasn't tempted to give him any money as he failed to impress her that "he was fully sensible."
"It's not that we have anything against herbal remedies, but they need to be carefully monitored," said Sister Karen Brown who works closely with Jamaica AIDS Support, (JAS) a non-governmental organisation that offers support services to people with AIDS and people close to them.
Sister Karen said that in many cases the diets prescribed by people like Linda endangered AIDS patients.
"I have seen some of these diet sheets. Some of them have no protein. Some of the diets would damage healthy people, not to mention people who are sick. Many patients have livers that are very touchy. As you know the liver is the organ that processes medication for the body. Sometimes the things that these people prescribe interfere with other medication that the patient may be taking and sometimes these things may overload the liver. When this happens people will die," she warned.
Tomorrow: A woman who tried Linda's 'Cure' tells her story.
