AFRO-NETS> AIDS campaigner dies after unsafe sex

[Christian Labadie <CLabadie@t-online.de>]

AIDS campaigner dies after unsafe sex
-------------------------------------

July 01, 2001, 08:33 PM
SABC News

Three months after giving birth Mpho Mayoba, a young anti-Aids cam-
paigner from Welkom, was buried this weekend, after dying from an 
Aids related illness. Mayoba was part of the Young People Living With 
Aids project which encouraged safe sex, although she herself failed 
to practice this advice. 

Mayoba's death has now sparked concerns and uncertainty over the mis-
sion of the project, which was launched by the Youth Commission in 
partnership with the office of the President in 1999. 

Mayoba (24) was a vibrant youth, until she gave birth to her first 
child and discovered that she had contracted the Aids virus. She then 
became an Aids campaigner preaching safe sex, however Mayoba fell 
pregnant again after having sex without taking precautions. 

Mayoba is the second anti-Aids campaigner in the Free State to die of 
an aids related illness. According to observers, her death seriously 
undermines the objectives of the project after she failed to practise 
safe sex. Her death has therefore allegedly left the Young People 
Living Aids Project with a credibility crises.

Source:
http://www.sabcnews.com/SABCnews/south_africa/general/0,1009,17194,00.html

[reproduced under 'fair use' ] 

--
Hello,

I am reproducing a remark I made earlier based on a letter to JAMA. I 
would be curious to read the opinion(s) of this health research group 
on this difficult question. I feel that the education of youth should 
include a simple statistical game describing basic mathematical laws 
of probability, and highlighting that adding precautions multiple the 
chances of success. Here in Europe, there is this tired same old and 
unchanged add for condoms, that we have seen for years; it suggests 
no other complement to using condom. Should young persons be encour-
aged to make a "healthy pause" between sexual relationships and try, 
whenever possible, to undergo an appropriate health screening. Would 
this increase the success rate of condoms? Which body fluid should be 
collected during the screening of men? Should boys seek the advise of 
an MD before becoming sexually active, and which one?

<<I reproduce a Letter to the Editor that appeared in (1986) JAMA, 
Vol. 256, Iss. 11, p. 1442:

Condoms and the Prevention of AIDS

To the Editor -- We were interested in reading the letter of Conant 
et al.[1] regarding their laboratory data that condoms prevent trans-
mission of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated vi-
rus. It is reassuring that retroviruses cannot pass through latex, 
synthetic skin, or natural lamb skin. The use of condoms has become 
cornerstone for safe sexual activity, being recommended to prevent 
transmission of the AIDS-associated retrovirus. We feel that other 
factors regarding condoms are much more likely to result in failure 
to prevent transmission than the virus actually passing through the 
prophylactic. These factors have already been well substantiated by 
the 10% failure rate per year of condoms to prevent pregnancies [2].

It is not clear whether gay men are more motivated to employ condoms 
to prevent the transmission of AIDS-associated retrovirus than het-
erosexual couples are likely to use condoms as a means of birth con-
trol. The appropriate use of condom, including application before 
pre-ejactulatory fluid appears, making sure that the condom does not 
fall off or tear, and use of considerable lubricant and spermicidal 
jellies, should all be recommended when condoms are used in attempt 
to prevent the transmission of the AIDS-associated retrovirus. We 
feel that these human factors and mechanical failures relating to 
condom use need to be stressed when designing educational campaigns 
wherein condoms are a major tool in promoting safe sex.

Keith Henry, MD, 
Kent Crossley, MD 
University of Minnesota Medical School...

[1] Conant et al. (1986) JAMA, Vol. 255, p.1706 
[2] Pritchard JA et al. (1980) in Williams Obstetrics ed. 16, NY, Ap-
    pleton-Century Crofts, p.1011

If the rate of failure per year of condoms as a mean of birth control 
is 10%, then knowing the fraction of time that a woman is actually 
fertile, what would be the estimated effective protection of condoms 
against AIDS after ten years? The result of such statistical arithme-
tic is frightening.>>

Christian Labadie 
mailto:CLabadie@t-online.de

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