A medical doctor has disputed claims that mopani worms can cure HIV/Aids.

Dr Dzhenuwo Mudau said it is not true that the worms can cure HIV/Aids, although he conceded that they can boost a person’s immune system.

“Mopani worms have proteins that can boost a person’s immune system. The claim that they can help cure HIV/Aids is misleading as it has never been proven anywhere,” said Dr Ndou.

This comes after a statement made by one of the people who sell mopani worms for cash to consumers during an interview with the SABC news last week.

Mopani worms are a very popular meal in the province and some other parts of the country. Found during rainy seasons in Mopani trees, mostly in the far northern parts of the Vhembe district, many people, especially elderly women, spend several days camping on farms, filling several bags of mealie-meal which they then prepare for selling to the public.

Several people from Botswana also sell Mopani worms in Limpopo on a full-time basis.