Condoms, the main scientifically proven way of preventing HIV transmission, are in woefully short supply in key regions, reveals a new report.
鈥淭he male latex condom is the single most effective technique available to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections,鈥� said Catherine Hankins, chief scientific adviser to UNAIDS, at the launch of an updated report 鈥淐ondoms Count鈥� by Population Action International (PAI). 鈥淐ondoms will remain the key preventative tool for many, many years to come.鈥�
Only 20 per cent of risky sex acts were protected by condom use in 2003, she said. Risky sex includes casual sex, and unprotected sex within a relationship where one or both of the partners are unfaithful.
Advertisement
In 2000, it was estimated that eight billion condoms would have been needed for significant reductions in the rate of infection and prevalence. Donor nations provided less than 950 million condoms that year, says the report.
In 2002, 10 billion condoms were needed in the developing world to make a difference, but donors contributed only 2.5 billion condoms, said Nada Chaya, a researcher and demographer at PAI, and one of the report鈥檚 authors.
ABC prevention
The report urges that male and female condoms should be available everywhere. 鈥淚f cigarettes can get to the remotest corners of the Earth, so can condoms,鈥� it argues.
Experts were especially critical of the US Bush administration鈥檚 emphasis on abstinence from sex before marriage as a mainstay of prevention compared with access to condoms. The report urges that reproductive health programmes should promote the complete 鈥淎BCs鈥� of prevention 鈥� not just part of it. ABC relates to Abstinence, Be faithful, use a Condom.
Barbara Lee, a US Congresswoman, says the 鈥渟cientific evidence is clear鈥� on the use of condoms for prevention of HIV transmission, where the abstinence programmes are 鈥渦ndefined鈥� and 鈥渦nproven鈥�.
A bill introduced on Friday in the US House of Representatives would place emphasis on the needs of women and girls in HIV prevention, she says, and remove all dedicated funding for 鈥渁bstinence-until-marriage鈥� programmes.
Data from the report reveals that extremely few condoms are donated annually for every male in the most countries in need. For example, 2.6 condoms per man per year were given in AIDS-ravaged South Africa between 1998 to 2002. In India, where HIV is rapidly growing, the average was 0.2 condoms per year.
The report was released on Monday at the XV International AIDS conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
