Traditional Healers’ Knowledge and Infection Control Practices Related to HIV in Bukavu City, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Background: Patients with HIV consult traditional healers (THs). These THs can both delay care for people living with HIV (PLHIV) and transmit HIV through poor infection control practices. The main objective of this study was to evaluate knowledge and practices of THs regarding HIV in Bukavu. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 71 THs in Bukavu City. The collected data included the following topics: personal and socio-demographic characteristics, HIV knowledge, and infection control practices. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples T-test or F-test, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data with a p-value < 0.05. Results: The THs’ mean age was 49.2 ± 11.2 years, and the majority were aged 40 to <60 years. Males constituted 88.7% of THs with a male-to-female ratio of 7.9. Findings of the study revealed that THs had inadequate knowledge about HIV infection and poor infection control practices. Conclusion and recommendations: The study revealed that THs' knowledge about HIV infection was insufficient and that they had poor infection control practices. Formal standardized training on HIV infection should be organized for all THs so that they can always refer their patients to modern, reliable antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics and reduce the risk of occupational exposure in their practices.