Kampala – 9th February 2023; The Ministry of Health is partnering with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) to mark the International Condom Day (ICD). This day is commemorated every 13th day of February annually with the aim of sensitizing the public on the importance of condoms, and highlighting its effectiveness in offering protection against HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
International condom day is a global advocacy and awareness day that serves to promote the use of condoms as a means of preventing the spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) including HIV and avoiding unintended pregnancies.
“Between 25-29 years old youths, about 38% people do use condoms in Uganda today, and amongst women aged 24-25 years old, the condom use is too low and more than 8,000 girls got pregnant during COVID-19 lock down. We want to re-emphasize the importance of condom that it is currently one of the cheapest and affordable tools for prevention of HIV and other STIs and prevention of early pregnancies.” Said the AHF Project Coordinator Ms. Martha Mbabazi Ataye.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that unprotected sexual intercourse between male and female is a predominant mode of HIV transmission amongst partners whose status is unknown.
According to the Journal report of AHF, in Uganda, approximately 1.4 million people are living with HIV with 43% of new HIV infections occurring in our country which is alarming.
The Country Programs Director, AHF Mr. Henry Magala said, “If we do the prevention we will not have 70% of the diseases that we have. According to the AIDS 8th review 2021, we had 53,000 new infections and sex accounts for 80% of the HIV infections and other STDs. If the above people had used condoms correctly and consistently, 42,000 new infections would have been averted if the programing was right and condoms available.”
“In Uganda, according to our culture, sex is majorly started by men in that it is hard for a woman to have any desire of putting on a condom yet sex is chaired by men that is why the condom use is too low,” said Teddy Namala the Coordinator SAIL.
The Senior Public Relations officer Ministry of Health Mr. Emmanuel Ainebyoona said that, “Previously, condoms used to be packed with guidelines on how to use them and visuals but it is no longer done of which most of the youths are first time users who don’t know how to use them. Dispensers and condom packaging should have an inscription on how to use these condoms and a demonstration.”
The public was called upon to have a proper use of condoms and to make sure that both females and males should have condoms before having sex for better options in case one refuses to put it on. One should always be clean before putting on a condom to avoid infections and advised to trim not to shave when they are going to have sex because sometimes one can get a cut during shaving and end up having a wound which is a risk of getting an infection.
The Condoms coordinator at the National AIDS control programme at the Ministry of Health, Vastha Kibirige, said that, ladies should teach their husband on how to use the female condom so that they can be of a proper use. And to also make practice before proper use.
She encouraged distributers of condoms to always educate people on how to use them and to find out which community consumes more so that they distribute enough condoms.
By Nakabugo Cathy
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