Over 40pc of traditional medicines contaminated

Mwanza. Over 40 percent of traditional medicines submitted for registration to the Traditional and Alternative Health Practice Council (TAHPC) were found to be contaminated by bacteria and fungus

The situation has triggered concerns over how the medicines were processed and stored.

For many years, traditional medicines used in Tanzania were only generally assumed to be safe, not until recently when the Health ministry began focusing on their safety status as per best practices prescribed by World Health Organization (WHO).

According to findings showcased on Thursday during the 11th Scientific Graduation Conference at the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (Cuhas) in Mwanza, the medicines were found to be contaminated by microorganisms that could lead to illnesses.

Dr Marko Hingi from the Secretariat of the TAHPC told The Citizen that in recent years, there has been an increase in the demand for traditional medicine among users in Tanzania, however, the safety of the products had not been taken as a major concern.

“We are concerned about the safety of traditional medicine because some comes with contaminants such as microbes, toxins, heavy metals and so on… These contaminants can harm the patients leading to further deterioration of their health and that’s why we screen them to ensure safety to the public,” he said.

The survey show that some manufacturing facilities for the traditional medicines did not observe cleanliness during harvesting, drying, grinding and other procedures, leading to substantial contamination.

Research was conducted by the traditional medicine section in the ministry of Health in collaboration with the Institute of Traditional Medicine of Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Muhas).

Two years ago the government introduced procedures regarding safety for all marketed traditional medicines and started registering them based on safety criteria. A researcher from Muhas’ Institute of Traditional Medicine Dr Edmund Kayombo told The Citizen that there had been complaints raised by end-users about adverse reactions. He said authorities have now started investing in ensuring the safety of the traditional medicines.

“We did not want to risk anymore. And I think that’s why studies are being conducted to establish any likely contamination that could be harmful to human health,’’ he said.

In May, 23 applications of traditional medicines were submitted to the council, says a survey titled: Status of Traditional Medicine Registration in Tanzania Mainland. After an inspection and testing, 56.5 percent were approved by the committee and registered; but 10 of them (43.5 percent) were not approved.

“The reasons for failure to register were due to contamination by fungus causing aflatoxins or other microbiologic and mycological [fungal] agents,’’ reads the survey.

“There is a need to provide education to traditional health practitioners on hygienic manufacturing process of their products and on the importance of submitting their samples for contamination screening to relevant laboratories before submitting their products for registrations,’’ suggests the survey.