Forging links between the formal and traditional in Zambia. Special report: traditional healers.

Many Zambians seek help concurrently from traditional healers and formal health services. For example a study at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka found that more than 75% of inpatients had also sought advice from traditional healers. A second study of 1000 patients seen at Kara Counseling and Training Trust (KCTT) in Lusaka found that 68% of those attending for HIV counseling and testing had seen a traditional healer. The importance of involving traditional healers in HIV prevention programs has not however been recognized in Zambia. Several traditional healers have approached KCTT requesting help in managing patients who they suspect may be HIV-seropositive especially for HIV testing. Many of the organizations counselors and medical staff recognize the role which traditional healers have in caring for HIV-infected individuals but some are concerned that traditional medicines are ineffective and that traditional healers are disseminating inappropriate health education messages. 68 of 101 counselors surveyed in Lusaka nonetheless expressed an interest in working more closely with traditional healers.