august 2010 · special issue 14 · a serial publication of the World health organization regional office for africa · issn 2077 6136 tHe AfricAn monitor Healt 31 August 31 Day Medicine Traditional African special H issue r EG i O n AL O ffic E f O r Africa The African Health Monitor is a magazine of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO- AFRO) published four times a year (January, April, July and October). It is a multilingual publication with peer- reviewed articles in English, French and Portuguese. REGIONAL OFFICE FOR Africa The aim of the African Health Monitor is to promote and facilitate evidence-based policy and decisions to strengthening programmes for health promotion, protection, and restoration in the African Region. In order to achieve its aim, the Monitor serves as a medium for publication of articles that monitor the health n A situation and trends, and track progress toward the health-related Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed-upon goals. It will publish and disseminate relevant and scientifically rigorous public HealtH health information. It will also disseminate information on public health interventions carried out in the Member States with the cooperation of AFRO technical programmes. Afric e Prospective authors should follow the Monitor stylesheet, which can be obtained by sending an email H t monitor message to the Editorial Office at [email protected] or by using this intranet link http://intranet.afro.who.int/ guidelines/ahm.pdf african traditional Paul Lusamba-Dikassa (Editor-in-Chief) for the African Health Monitor Special Issue on Traditional Medicine medicine day, 31 august EditorialUche Amazigo Board ExpErt adviSorY panel special issue Rufaro Chatora Dr Kofi Busia, WAHO, Burkina Faso Alimata J. Diarra-Nam Prof. Drissa Diallo, Mali Lucile Imboua Professor Tony Elujoba, Nigeria REGIONAL OFFICE FOR Africa Tigest Ketsela Dr Erick Gbodossou, Senegal Matshidiso Moeti Prof. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Mauritius HEALTH Chris Mwikisa Ngenda Prof. Mawuli Kofi-Tsekpo, Kenya AFRICAN Prof Rogasian Mahunnah, United Republic of Tanzania Jean-Baptiste Roungou Dr Merlin Mensah, Ghana THE Bokar Toure ISSN 2077 6136 · MONITOR Oladapo Walker Dr Paulo Mhame, United Republic of Tanzania special issue Dr Jean Baptiste Nikiema, Burkina Faso African Prof Jean Pierre Nkurunziza, Rwanda Traditional Prof Rokia Sanogo, Mali Medicine Prof. John R.S. Tabuti, Uganda Day Chris Zielinski (Managing Editor) Prof. Charles Wambebe, Nigeria EditorialSamuel Ajibola (Production offic Manager)E A SERIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGIONAL OFFICE FOR AFRICA ORGANIZATION OF THE WORLD HEALTH A SERIAL PUBLICATION · 31 August Wenceslas Kouvividila Angele Mandzoungou SPECIAL ISSUE 14 · Firmine Mavila Derege Kebede (Editor) AUGUST 2010 corChris ZielinskiE Editorial (Chief Language group Editor) Emil Asamoah-Odei (Deputy Editor, English) Issa Sanou (Deputy Editor, French) Rui Gama Vaz (Deputy Editor, Portuguese) © WHO-AFRO, 2010 Edoh William Soumbey-Alley (Deputy Editor, Statistics) Articles may be reproduced for noncommercial purposes by citing at least the Samuel Ajibola (News and Events Editor) authors’ names, title of article, year of issue and name of magazine (African Aude-Armel Onlinouo (Photo Editor) Health Monitor, World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa). 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N & IG ES Some papers in this publication have not passed through formal peer review. d contents Luis Gomes Sambo the decade of african traditional medicine: progress so far — 4 — Ossy MJ Kasilo, Jean-Marie Trapsida, Chris Ngenda Mwikisa and Paul Samson Lusamba-Dikassa an overview of the traditional medicine situation in the african region — 7 — Kofi Busia and Ossy MJ Kasilo an overview of traditional medicine in ECOWaS Member States — 16 — Ossy MJ Kasilo and Jean-Marie Trapsida regulation of traditional medicine in the african region — 25 — Paulo Peter Mhame, Kofi Busia and Ossy MJ Kasilo clinical practices of african traditional medicine — 32 — Kofi Busia and Ossy MJ Kasilo collaboration between traditional health practitioners and conventional health practitioners: Some country experiences — 40 — Jean Baptiste Nikiema, Jacques Simporé, Dabogo Sia, Kadidja Djierro, Innocent Pierre Guissou, and Ossy MJ Kasilo l’introduction de plantes médicinales dans le traitement de l’infection à viH : une approche réussie au Burkina faso — 47 — Jean Baptiste Nikiema, Badioré Ouattara, Rasmané Sembde, Kadidja Djierro, Mahamdou Compaore, Innocent Pierre Guissou, and Ossy MJ Kasilo promotion de la médecine traditionelle du Burkina faso : essai de développement d’un médicament antidrépanocytaire, le FACA — 52 — Diallo Drissa, Haidara Mahaimane, Tall Coumbo, and Ossy MJ Kasilo recherche sur la médecine traditionnelle africaine : hypertension — 58 — Ameenah Gurib-Fakim and Ossy MJ Kasilo promoting african medicinal plants through an african herbal pharmacopeia — 64 — Marian Ewurama Addy and Ossy MJ Kasilo Natural products research networks in sub-Saharan africa — 68 — Ossy MJ Kasilo, Mawuli Kofi-Tsekpo and Kofi Busia towards sustainable local production of traditional medicines in the african region — 80 — Emmanuel KA Sackey and Ossy MJ Kasilo intellectual property approaches to the protection of traditional knowledge in the african region — 89 — New and events: guidelines for the prevention and clinical management of snakebite in africa — 103 — t H e a f r i c a n H e a lt H m o n i t o r editorial tHE dEcadE of africaN traditioNal MEdicithNE: progrESSthe WorldSo f Healthar organization estimates that 80% of the T he 50 Session of the populations of asia, africa and latin america use traditional WHo regional committee medicine to meet their primary health care needs. For many for africa recognized people in these countries, particularly those living in rural the importance and potential areas, this is the only available, accessible and affordable of traditional medicine for the source of health care. achievement of health for all. participants urged accelerating the development of local production of traditional medicines in order to improve Medicine day was endorsed by and 39 countries with offices in access to health care for the the Summit of Heads of State and Ministries of Health to support african region. in 2000, the government in Maputo in July the development of traditional regional committee adopted the 2003.A Decade therefore, of African the theme Traditional chosen medicine. in addition, a few regional Strategy on promoting Medicine:to mark the Progress “double so anniversary” Far. training institutions such as the the role of traditional Medicine is: Kwame Nkrumah university of in Health Systems. Science and technology in ghana, have established a department thus, the year 2010 marks during the decade, more than half of Herbal Medicine under the a decade since the regional of the 46 Member States of the college of Health Sciences for Strategy was adopted. it also region have formulated national the training of herbal medicine marks the end of the decade on traditional medicine policies and specialists and to provide african traditional Medicine regulatory frameworks to ensure continuing education for (2001–2010) declared by the the efficacy, safety and quality traditional Health practitioners. Summit of Heads of State and of traditional medicines and government