Female condom launched in Zimbabwe
AIDS weekly plus 1997: 9-10
1997
PMID: 12320967 Document Number: 525522
The female condom is a disposable, lubricated, polyurethane sheath designed to be inserted into the vagina before and while having sexual intercourse to afford protection against unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Population Services International (PSI), on behalf of the National AIDS Coordination Program and the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council, has launched the condom in Zimbabwe under the brand name Care. The arrival of the female condom has been welcomed by both the country's health authorities and women's groups. Data from the National AIDS Coordination Program indicate that more than 1 million of Zimbabwe's 12.4 million people are infected with HIV. The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare reports that 500 people die each week of AIDS-related illnesses. 8 of 10 HIV-infected women contracted the virus through unprotected sexual intercourse. Women, who generally must rely upon their partners' willingness to use condoms, are up to four times more vulnerable to HIV infection through sexual intercourse than are men. Encouraging research conducted in Zimbabwe in early 1997 determined that 56% of men and 50% of women interviewed were interested in using the female condom. They will initially be available only in pharmacies in Harare, Bulawayo, and Chitungwiza at the introductory price of approximately US$0.27 per box of two. The government has also secured funding to procure approximately 400,000 female condoms for free distribution through public health institutions.