Transcript Condom Effectiveness

Condom Effectiveness
A presentation developed by PSI-TANZANIA,
Tanzania Bureau of Standards and TGPSH/GTZ
Introduction
 Some people have doubts about condom
effectiveness.
 What scientific proof is there to show that
condoms are safe and effective?
 Let’s look at recent scientific studies...
How does the condom work?
 Condoms prevent
 Exposure of the penis to cervicovaginal secretions
and tissues;
 Exposure of the vagina to penile secretions
 Therefore they protect the man and the woman
How does the condom work?
 Condoms have been engineered to:
 Be placed easily (onto the penis) and
 Minimizes slippage and breakage during vaginal
intercourse.
Scientists need to examine:
 1) Is the male condom, when tested in a
laboratory, impermeable to infectious agents,
including the smallest viruses?
 2) What evidence (field studies) is there that
the human use of the condom reduces the
risk of unwanted pregnancies, HIV infection
and other STI?
Is the condom impermeable to
infectious agents?
Let’s examine published scientific studies:
 Can pores be found in condoms, when they
are examined with a strong microscope?
 No, all studies revealed that there are no
pores.
Is the condom impermeable to
infectious agents?
 Even a laboratory study using a very strong
electron microscope which magnifies 30 000
times found no pores.
 Even if the condom is stretched, there are no
pores!
Is the condom impermeable to infectious
agents?
 There are no pores in condoms
 However, what do studies using real micro
organisms including the small HIV conclude?
 Laboratory studies carried out to assess
leakage of several microorganisms through
condom membranes, including HIV found no
evidence of leakage!
Condom effectiveness
 To conclude, the answer to the question is yes:
An intact Latex Condom is impermeable to
infectious agents.
 Condoms are highly effective barriers to virus
passage!!
Effectiveness of condom use:
Let’s turn to our second question:
 Even if laboratory testing concludes that the
condom is effective, we need to see if this
result is confirmed by field studies.
 Does the human use of the condom confirm
the effectiveness of the condom?
HIV/AIDS Protection
 Studies on HIV-discordant couples -one partner is
infected with HIV and the other is not- show how
effective condoms are:
 All studies confirm that consistent condom users
have low risks of HIV infection:
 3 recent studies found that infection rates were less
than 1% per year among HIV-discordant couples
using condoms consistently.
HIV/AIDS Protection
 A large European study of 256 HIV-discordant
couples followed for an average of 20 months
found that not one infection occurred among
couples always using condoms!
 In contrast, 12 partners of the 121 couples who
did not use condoms became infected.
 Field studies thus proof that condoms are
effective in preventing HIV/AIDS!!
Protection against STIs
 Condoms provide protection against STIs:
 A recent review of studies (2004) carried out by
WHO confirms that condoms provide statistically
significant protection of men and women against
chlamydia infection, gonorrhea, herpes simplex virus
type 2 and syphilis.
 All studies were carefully examined and studies with
flawed study design were excluded.
Protection against STIs
 Condoms may be less effective in protecting
against STIs that are transmitted by skin-toskin contact, since the infected area may not
be covered by the condom.
Effectiveness against pregnancy
 3 to 14 out of 100 women get pregnant in a year
using only condoms for contraception.
 However, most condom failure is attributed to
the human failure to use condoms correctly and
consistently
Effectiveness against pregnancy
Reasons for failure is can include:
o Condoms are not available
o They are not used for every act of sex
o Poor communication between partners
o The user does not know how to use a condom
correctly.
Effectiveness against pregnancy
 For example, the risk of breakage is
concentrated in certain couples who lack
knowledge about condom use.
 Couples who use condoms consistently
and correctly are at very low risk of
pregnancy!!
Condom effectiveness Conclusion
• Correct and consistent use of condoms
drastically reduces the risk of HIV and STI
transmission and unwanted pregnancy.
Condom effectiveness
Conclusion
 Failure of Condoms to protect against STI
including HIV is explained by user failure
rather than by product failure.
 This calls for the need to promote proper and
consistent use of condoms.
Condom effectiveness
Conclusion
 Condom misconceptions are misleading and
there is a need to inform the public about the
scientific evidence.
 Condoms use needs to be explained properly
and can be learned by practicing.