Washington, DC, Population Action International, Monday, August 7, 2006 — In a joint PAI, Family Health International and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) sponsored teleconference last week, a panel of experts agreed that condoms remain one of our best hopes for limiting the spread of HIV globally. They also expressed dismay that, given condoms’ proven efficacy, they continue to be under siege. The teleconference highlighted new data on condom use and reaffirmed an often overlooked fact: condoms are still the only tool we have to prevent HIV transmission. As we look ahead to the International AIDS Conference in Toronto next week, PAI urges the U.S. government to affirm evidence-based research by announcing its commitment to ensuring that condoms are available to all who need them.
While 8-10 billion condoms are used annually in low and middle-income countries, the need is estimated at twice that amount. About 6 billion of these condoms are used primarily for prevention of HIV and other diseases, a number projected to grow to a staggering 10-15 billion by 2015. Yet, despite the 2.7 million new HIV infections that occur each year, overall donor support for condoms has remained largely unchanged in recent years. Donors—including the U.S. and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)—provided 2.4 billion male condoms to over 100 developing countries in 2004. This is down slightly from the all time high provision of 2.7 billion condoms in 2001.
In addition to this condom shortfall, the U.S. focus on abstinence-until-marriage programs hinders distribution of condoms to groups they haven’t categorized as high risk: married women and sexually-active youth. Unfortunately, to assume that husbands will be faithful and young people will not have sex is unrealistic. In order for the U.S. to maximize its efforts of preventing new HIV infections, it must classify women and sexually active youth as being "high risk", and provide them with all available prevention methods.
Twenty-five years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic we are still discussing, often debating, whether condoms are effective or appropriate as a prevention method. Science, not ideology, should drive this discussion. Until there is a vaccine, we have a responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to the best available prevention methods. To do anything less would be irresponsible.
Home |