Health experts have cautioned communities against misuse of Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs which is meant for people living with HIV to slow down the virus spread in the body.
This advice came after a report emerged from different communities, indicating that, of recent people have started using ARVs for fattening pigs and chicken, brewing alcohol, cooking beans, among others.
Dr. Kenneth Cana, the District Health Officer for Gulu district warns that the consumption of meat that has ARV in it has a lot of side effects and interactions in the body like causes liver inflammation because it is not meant for people with normal blood but for sick people.
Cana says it also disadvantages HIV/AIDS positive patients as they will have shortage when people are giving it to animals to consume.
Cana says death is also one of the penalties for consuming such meat because these farmers don’t even know the dosages of how ARV is supposed to be administered, they give their animals or birds excess ARV and when humans consume, it can lead to death.
He says, ARV has a dosage that is supposed to be consumed.
Cana advises those misusing the ARV to completely desist from it and seek guidance from the Agricultural experts on how they can improve the quality of their birds and animals.
Cana notes that there is no proven research that ARV improves on the growth of animals or fattens them, meaning it is just a myth.
Cana also advises that meat and chicken be sampled and tested for ARV substances in them and if found, the culprits be dealt with according to the law so that they act as a warning to others still practicing such.
The LC3 chairperson for Patiko subcounty, Patrick Komakech admits that a section of his community believe that when ARV is administered in pigs, they grow very fast and bigger in less time and when put on a painful tooth, one gets instant relief.
By Becky Ekwany
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