CAIRO, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Egyptian Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Abdel-Atti, head of the Cancer Treatment and Screening Center, announced Sunday that he has discovered cures for both AIDS and hepatitis C, an assertion that has been roundly criticized by the medical community -- including by senior Egyptian medical experts.
Speaking at a press conference, Abdel-Atti declared, "I defeated AIDS with the grace of my God at the rate of 100 percent. And I defeated hepatitis C."
Dr. Ihsan Hanfy Hussein, a member of Abdel-Atti's research team, explained the "Complete Cure Device" works by drawing blood from the infected patient, which is then broken down. The purified blood is returned to the patient's body, and the patient is "cured." The process, she said, takes approximately 16 hours to complete.
The unveiling of the alleged miracle "Cure Device" was attended by Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a presumed presidential hopeful.
The military's asserted cure was questioned and criticized by many, including by interim President Adly Mansour's scientific adviser, who called it a "scientific scandal." Essam Hegly told the private Al Watan newspaper Tuesday: "I want to be clear and explicit, what has been said and published about the invention of the armed forces hurts the image of scientists and science in Egypt."
Prominent surgeon and hepatologist Dr. Gamal el-Ebaidy expressed concern that the military's medical cure claim was politically motivated "for the sake of elections." "Medicine," el-Ebaidy said, "has nothing to do with politics."
[CNN] [New York Times]
