A report on the presentation of a paper titled “use of
lemon/lime juice douching by women to prevent infections and
pregnancy in Jos, Nigeria” at the 12th priorities
in reproductive health and HIV conference 18-21 October, 2005,
Spier Hotel, Stellenbosch, South Africa
The time was 4:30pm on Wednesday 19th October, 2005
in Stellensbosch, a town which is about 30 minutes drive from
Cape Town, South Africa.
Delegates from different parts of the world were gathered and
seated in the main auditorium of Speir Hotel, Stellenbosch.
Spier Hotel, Stellenbosch,
South Africa the venue
for the conference
The 7th paper presentation session titled “Traditional
Practices and Gender” at the 12th Priorities in
Reproductive Health and HIV conference was scheduled to commence.
The presenters for the session were ready and seated at the high
table. The chairpersons for the session: Prof. Eleanor Preston-Whyte,
University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
and Dr. Andrew Levack, Engender Health, Seattle, USA
started off the session. The keynote address which showed that
male circumcision is protective and reduced the risk of HIV transmission
was presented by Dr. A. Pruden, National Institute of Communicable
Diseases, South Africa.
Three other presenters took their turns to present their papers.
Participants at the Conference |
Presenters at Session 7-Traditional Practices and Gender |
After these, it was time for the long awaited paper on lemon/lime
douching to be presented. The conference participants were curious
and had earlier on during the conference asked questions about
the lemon study. They wanted to know who the presenter was. Now
the time they were all waiting for has come. The presenter of
the paper, Godwin E. Imade, a Senior Research Fellow, Department
of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Jos, Nigeria
was invited to the podium. The presenter greeted the audience
and brought out three big lemon fruits and held them high up as
he introduced the title of his presentation-“Use of lemon/lime
juice douching by women to prevent infections and pregnancy in
Jos, Nigeria”. The audience
which comprised of about 200 conference participants in the hall,
listened with rapt attention.
 
Godwin Imade presenting
his paper on lemon/lime juice douching
He stated that HIV was increasing at an alarming rate in Sub-Saharan
Africa and that women accounted for 57% of the 25 million people
infected in the region. The national HIV prevalence in Nigeria
is 5% in a population of about 130 million. In Jos Nigeria,
1 in 10 pregnant women has HIV infection. HIV infection in STI
patients and Female Sex Worker is as high as 30% and 54% respectively.
He lamented that HIV infection in women in the region is fuelled
by poor socio-economic circumstances and gender inequity. The
women are vulnerable to HIV infection because they can not insist
on condom use, cultural and traditional practices in the region
favour the male more than female. Women in the region are in desperate
need of a female-controlled agent they can use to protect themselves
from sexually transmitted and HIV infections and pregnancy in
the face of male dominance.
In his presentation, he showed that 81.5% of 200 Female Sex Workers
(FSW) in Jos, Nigeria
used lemon/lime douching before or after sex compared to 4% of
100 Family Planning Clients. Over 50% of the women that douched
with lemon/lime juice believed that it protected them from infections
and pregnancy. Nineteen percent of women who used lime/lime juice
indicated that they experienced pain after douching. He could
not ascertain whether the pain the women experienced was due to
lemon/lime juice or as a result of pre-existing lesion caused
by STIs. On the whole, 86% of the women were happy to recommend
the use of lemon/lime juice for douching to others while 71% would
be willing to participate in a study to evaluate its safety and
efficacy.
The presenter said that the crucial question that may be asked
is “Does lemon/lime juice douching really work?” He said that
evidence available in literatures show that women over the years
including those in Turkey
in the 18th century used lemon juice for contraception.
He also mentioned that recent in-vitro studies in the laboratory
in Melbourne, Australia
showed that 20% of lemon juice irreversible immobilised motile
spermatozoa within 30 second and killed HIV in 2 minutes.
In his conclusion, he pointed out that lemon/lime juice is a
natural agent which women in Jos who are at high risk of acquiring
HIV infection are already using with a belief that it protected
them from infection and pregnancy. He passionately pointed out
the urgency in evaluating the safety and efficacy of the agent
scientifically through a well designed study in order to determine
whether to encourage the the use of Lemon/lime juice douching
or not. He said there is no doubt any more that women in economically
constraint countries of the world are in dear need of a cheap,
safe, effective and readily available female-controlled microbicide
they can use to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections
and pregnancy. Will this agent come soon so that millions of our
women be saved from untimely death? Only God knows!
Godwin posed for a
photograph with Prof. Eleanor Preston-Whyte,
The Chair person of
session 7 at the conference
The presenter spoke for about 10 minutes and kept his audience
spell bound with his findings and his exciting manner of presentation.
As he concluded his presentation there was spontaneous clapping
of hands and a resounding ovation.
Questions, discussions and jokes on lemon/lime douching continued
after the presentation session and during the remaining days of
the conference. The presenter earned himself a nickname -“The
lemon man” for the remaining days of the conference.
The conference which was very well organised and packed full
with relevant and topical burning issues in reproductive health
and HIV came to an end at about 1.00pm on Friday 21 October, 2005.
The official closing address was delivered by the energetic and
dynamic lady- Prof. Helen Rees, The Chair Person Conference Organising
Committee and Director, Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit,
University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South
Africa.
Acknowledgement
The Presenter, Godwin E. Imade wishes to thank the study subjects
for their cooperation and participation in the study. He is appreciative
of his co-authors:Atiene S. Sagay, Viola A
Prof. Helen Rees (The
Chair, Conference Committee)
making a point at
the conference
Onwuliri, Daniel Z. Egah, Malcolm Potts, and Roger V. Short
for their contributions. Finally he is grateful to the 12th
Priorities in Reproductive Health and HIV conference organizers
and The Mary Magdalene Project, The Australian AIDS Fund for the
Bursary Awards he received to attend well organized conference.
NB: Power
Point Format of the Presentation is available
Report written by:
Godwin E. Imade
Senior Research Fellow
Dept of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Faculty of Medical Sciences
P.M.B. 2084
Jos, Nigeria
E-mail: ereimade@yahoo.co.uk
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