Homeopathic treatments continue to be sold as treatments for HIV/Aids, malaria and other serious diseases, despite containing no active ingredients, doctors and medical researchers say.

Campaigners want the World Health Organisation (WHO) to publicly condemn the “highly unethical” use of the treatments, which they say give patients false hope and put lives at risk.

The Voice of Young Science Network, an association of young doctors and scientists, called on the WHO to act amid fears that vulnerable patients are dying after turning to homeopathic preparations for HIV, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, influenza and infant diarrhoea, instead of medicines which are proven to be effective.

In an open letter to the WHO today, the researchers — many of whom have worked in developing countries — urge the UN’s health body to make clear that homeopathy cannot prevent or treat these five conditions.

“Those of us working with the most rural and impoverished people of the world already struggle to deliver the medical help that is needed. When homeopathy stands in place of effective treatment, lives are lost,” the scientists write.

Their comments come in advance of an international conference in the Netherlands this week, which will promote the use of homeopathy in developing countries.

British homeopathic practitioners accepted the researchers’ call, admitting that homeopathic remedies could not treat serious illnesses such as malaria.

Homeopathic medicines are made by repeatedly diluting preparations with water until there is no trace left of the original compound. Reviews of medical studies suggest that where homeopathy can benefit patients it is usually no more effective than a placebo.

In Britain homeopathy is only typically advocated where doctors can provide no other effective treatments or in “self-limiting” conditions that would otherwise be expected to heal on their own. Yet in 2007, the UK market in the treatments was estimated to be worth £38 million.

The WHO already works with national organisations that promote homeopathy and other alternative medicines in their public health programmes.

The British researchers highlight homeopathy projects in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana and Botswana that all offer to treat patients with HIV, malaria, diarrhoea or flu.

Daniella Muallem, a biophysicist at University College London, who signed the letter, said: “The WHO’s strategy is very unclear on homeopathy and that is shocking. They are supposed to be articulating evidence-based medicine, but their stance is very wishy-washy.

“Homeopathy is cheap, but there is no evidence that it works for these diseases, and the way they are being sold by practitioners is dangerous and completely unethical. There are medicines that do work and we should be advocating trying to get those to people,” she added.

Duncan Casey, a researcher at Imperial College who also signed the letter, added: “This isn’t the difference between two schools of medicine; this is like comparing a 747 to a magic carpet. The magic carpet is a lovely idea – but at the end of the day, which would you rather trust with your life?”

Peter Fisher, a member of the Faculty of Homeopathy and Clinical Director of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, said: “Malaria is a serious and life-threatening disease and there is no published evidence to support the use of homeopathy in the prevention of malaria.”

According to WHO estimates, 33-million people were living with HIV at the end of 2007, and during that one year, two million people died of Aids, including 270 000 children. Two thirds of the world’s HIV cases are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malaria was responsible for nearly one million deaths in 2006; a child dies of the disease every 30 seconds.

The WHO said it was unable to provide comment on the letter until later this week.

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