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Men take centre stage in the fight against HIV/AIDS
Kuben Chetty. 07 February 2005. Daily News. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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With the fight against HIV/AIDS becoming a worldwide battle, the condom is still seen as the first line of defence in preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Those who advocate the use of condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS and unplanned pregnancy have a saying: "It only takes a few seconds to put one on, but using one is the difference between saving or changing your life."
This week is National Condom Awareness Week and throughout the country NGO's and the department of health will be promoting the message that condom use prevents HIV/AIDS.
In fact men, and fathers in particular, will be targeted with this message. The reason, says Chris Mokolatsi, spokesperson for the Provincial AIDS Action Unit, is because men need to take a more leading role in the prevention of HIV/AIDS.
"Men don't get involved in issues of health until they are in a dire situation".
"Sadly, in our society, most woman are not the ones who choose whether a condom is used during intercourse and men need to step up to the plate," he said.
At an official function in Pongola, in far northern Zululand on February 12, the Provincial AIDS Unit will launch their Men In Partnership against AIDS (MEPA) programme.
"We want there to be a link between men and the usage of condoms - not only for their protection, but also for the protection of their partners," he said.
The condom itself is believed to have originated in 1 000BC, when ancient Egyptians men used a linen sheath for protection against disease. In the 1500s a syphilis epidemic spread across Europe, and a sheath of linen was used to protect men against the disease. Necessity proved to be the mother of invention and men soon realised the condom could also prevent pregnancy. By the late 1700's, handmade condoms were being sold and advertised in London. Other earlier types of condoms were made of animal gut.
Today, the manufacturing of condoms is big busin ess. Oliver Bohle of condom manufacturing company Karex, based in Sandton, Johannesburg, said his company produced one million condoms a day for export and domestic use. "There is a huge demand for condoms all around the world and we have to constantly come with new and innovative ideas." The condom has evolved from a simple contraceptive and now comes in different sizes, shapes, colour and even flavours.
"The standard length is about 180mm in width with a minimum length of 210 mm."
The ordinary plain, smooth condom seems to be the most popular, with the National Department of Health buying 45 million a year from Bohle's company.
Condoms are exported to virtually all SADC countries and are not environmentally friendly, re-usable or recyclable.
National Condom Awareness week runs from February 7 to 13. Find additional information from websites: www.avert.org , www.craigsweb.com and www.aidshelpline.org.za.
Some condom facts:
- It is not advisable to use both a male and female condom together at once, since a female condom is made of polyure-thane and the male condom is made of latex rubber, which are not complementary.
- A condom is lubricated because it is made of latex rubber and could cause discomfort during intercourse.
- Female condoms are not free because the material used to manufacture them is very expensive.
- Condoms are 98 percent safe, with the outstanding 2 percent depending on how correctly they are used.
- The only difference between free condoms and those that are sold seems to be the variety in which they are available. Free condoms are standard and have no additions.
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