[afro-nets] 'Condoms and STD prevention: The winner is...'(4)

[A. Odutola <chpss_abo2@yahoo.com>]

'Condoms and STD prevention: The winner is...'(4)
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In the interest of good public health policy and practice in Af-
rica, it is profoundly serious and non-gratuitous to question
the quality of condoms supplied freely all over the continent by
national governments and international aid organizations. This
is critically necessary since transparent evidence of quality
assurance are not readily made available to the public as in
other nations.

As to quality question being unfounded, Claudio Schuftan and
like-minded folks may wish to note that since September 2004 in
Uganda, the National Drugs Authority is reported to have been
shipping condoms (back) to Europe for testing. Uganda, like many
other African countries does not yet have its own condom-testing
equipment (BBC News 12/13/04). This action was in response to
wide-spread public complaints by Ugandans that the freely dis-
tributed 'Engabu' brand condoms supplied by Germany's GTZ since
1991 under technical cooperation agreement are substandard and
of poor quality. (Irin News, 10/20/04)

Health policy makers and HIV/AIDS program managers all over Af-
rica owe consumers at large the duty of care to assure the qual-
ity of condoms supplied for use in the region.

If raising questions about condom quality in Africa helps to
propel awareness about quality assurance at policy and program
levels, so be it. No self-serving smugness should derail such
objective.

References:

1. Uganda to run short of condoms (BBC News)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4092031.stm

2. UGANDA: Free AIDS prevention recalled over quality (Irin
News)
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=4042&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=UGANDA


A. Odutola
mailto:chpss_abo2@yahoo.com