Het Academisch Medisch Centrum (AMC) uit Amsterdam heeft een doorbraak geboekt bij onderzoek naar HIV-onderzoek. HIV, het virus dataids veroorzaakt, gebruikt een afweerreactie van de eerste cellen die het virus in het lichaam tegenkomt, om zichzelf te vermenigvuldigen. Datafweermechanisme dat normaal gesproken infecties tegenhoudt, zorgt er juist voor dat het HIV-virus zich kan verspreiden.

De onderzoekers stellen datals de gevaarsensoren gebokkeerd worden, het virus zich niet kan vermenigvuldigen en het ook niet aan anderen kan worden doorgegeven.

De onderzoeksresultaten zullen de basis zijn voor nieuwe medicatie maar stelt ook enkele bestaande behandelingen ter discussie. 'Met huidige therapeutische vaccins die de gevolgen van een HIV-besmetting voorkomen, is het uitkijken geblazen', schrijft hoogleraar Teuynis Geijtenbeek. 'Deze vaccins zouden in theorie de vermenigvuldiging van HIV op gang kunnen brengen.

Zo'n veertig leiders van verschillende godsdiensten uit binnen- en buitenland hebben zich tijdens een congres in Den Dolder postitief uitgelaten over condoomgebruik.

Dat laat ontwikkelingsorganisatie Cordaid weten die het congres organiseerde.

Niet alle religieuze leiders, zoals de katholieke, pleiten direct voor condooms, maar ze wezen het niet af. Verder hebben de leiders zich uitgesproken tegen discriminatie van mensen die zijn besmet met hiv/aids.

Het hoofd van de katholieke kerk in Engeland en Wales, aartsbisschop van Westminister Vincent Nichols, begrijpt datanticonceptie middelen 'aantrekkelijk' zijn om de armoede in de derde wereld op korte termijn te bestrijden. Hij vindt het echter niet de rol van kerk om te pleiten voor verspreiding van condooms. Nichols zei dataan de BBC in antwoord op de vraag waarom de katholieke kerk in armere delen van de wereld anticonceptie blijft ontmoedigen, terwijl het geboortecijfer er snel stijgt.

Officieel is de kerk tegenstander van anticonceptie.

Foto genomen tijdens Gay Pride Virginia in Havana (Cuba). De hond draagt een condoomjurk in alle kleuren van de regenboog.

De Indiase webwinkel van condoomfabrikant Durex heeft de details van duizenden klanten gelekt. Een klant ontdekte begin deze maand dat hij de bestellingen van iedereen kon bekijken, door alleen het ID-nummer te wijzigen. Namen, adresgegevens, telefoonnummers en bestelde goederen waren zo kinderlijk eenvoudig op te vragen. Creditcardgegevens of andere financiële data liep geen risico. De klant waarschuwde TTK-LIG, de marketeer van Durex in India en fabrikant van Kohinoor condooms en SSL International, eigenaar van Durex. Het lek werd zeer snel op de website gedicht.

Dreigbrief
Beide partijen bedankten de klant, die inmiddels een blog over het incident had geopend. Zowel TTK-LIG als SSL waren niet van plan om getroffen klanten te waarschuwen. Vervolgens kreeg de oplettende klant, die zichzelf "Durex Whistleblower" noemt, een dreigbrief dat hij gegevens had gestolen en strafbaar bezig was geweest.

De klant stuurde vervolgens een brief terug dat hij graag al het bewijs tegemoet zag en hij anders Durex zou aanklagen wegens grove nalatigheid in het beschermen van klantgegevens. De advocaten van de condoomgigant bonden uiteindelijk in. Inmiddels heeft TTK-LIG een verklaring op de website geplaatst waarin het klanten voor het datalek waarschuwt en dat de website nu beter is beveiligd.

De Condomerie heeft diverse krappere condooms in het assortiment. Het Hotshot condoom zal binnenkort te koop zijn.

Voor meer informatie klik op: www.condomerie.com/condoomsopmaat

TAGES ANZEIGER SCHWEIZ
«Kinder-Kondom» der Aids-Hilfe stösst auf grosse Skepsis
Von Reto Hunziker. Aktualisiert am 01.03.2010 28 Kommentare       
Brauchen Jugendliche ein eigenes Kondom? Ja, sagt die Aids-Hilfe Schweiz und hat ein «Jugend-Kondom» lanciert. Doch über dessen Sinn und Zweck streiten sich gar Fachleute, die am Projekt beteiligt sind.


Für Jugendliche geeignet: «Ceylor Hotshot» ist enger als ein Standard-Kondom.

Das Jugend-Kondom

«Hotshot» ist im Durchmesser rund 5 Millimeter enger als ein herkömmliches Kondom. Ausserdem ist es an der Öffnung verengt, sodass es weniger abrutscht. Das Motto der Kampagne: «Spass nach Mass». Gemäss Umfragen sind vielen Jugendlichen die handelsüblichen Präservative zu gross.

In der Schweiz ist seit Kurzem ein Kondom erhältlich, das enger ist als das herkömmliche Standard-Kondom und darum für Jugendliche geeignet ist. Diese haben nämlich oft Mühe, ein passendes zu finden. Und ist ein Kondom zu gross, besteht die Gefahr, dass es abrutscht – dann ist der ganze Schutz dahin.

Darum hat die Aids-Hilfe Schweiz in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Hersteller Ceylor und der Stiftung für sexuelle Gesundheit «Planes» ein engeres Kondom namens «Ceylor Hotshot» lanciert. Die Reaktion liess nicht lange auf sich warten: «Aids-Hilfe lanciert das Kinder-Kondom», titelt «20 Minuten» heute. Bereits wetterten Politiker über die «Verluderung der Moral». Ihre Bedenken: Das Kondom könnte die Jugendlichen, die heute ohnehin schon sehr früh mit Sexualität und Pornographie konfrontiert sind, dazu verführen – oder gar unter Druck setzen - , früher Sex zu haben. Auch dass die Kondome an Schulen zusammen mit Gleitmittel verteilt werden, stimmt nachdenklich.

«Kein Kondom für Jugendliche»

Sogar Fachleute, die an der Entwicklung des Präservativs beteiligt waren, sind offenbar nicht einig über Sinn und Zweck des sogenannten Jugend-Kondoms: «Das ist kein Kondom für Jugendliche, sondern ein engeres für den etwas kleineren Penis», sagt ein Sexualpädagoge, der in das Projekt involviert ist, namentlich aber nicht genannt werden will: «Und das ist ein grosser Unterschied.» Dass nun von einem «Jugendkondom» gesprochen werde, sei auf eine Fehleinschätzung zurückzuführen. Ein Kondom für 12-Jährige mache keinen Sinn, allein schon weil sich in dem Alter durch das Wachstum vieles verändere und die Jugendlichen an den unterschiedlichsten Punkten ihrer Entwicklung stehen. Auch würden Männer dazu neigen, die Grösse ihres Penis zu überschätzen.

Dem widerspricht jedoch die Initiantin Aids-Hilfe Schweiz: «Unsere Motivation für dieses Kondom waren ganz klar die Jugendlichen», sagt Sprecherin Bettina Maeschli. «Selbstverständlich wollen wir damit auch erwachsene Männer ansprechen. Es geht schlicht darum, die Grösse zu thematisieren, weil es auf dem Markt kein enges Kondom gibt», so Maeschli. Die Kondome würden auch nicht einfach auf dem Pausenhof verteilt, sondern im Rahmen der Sexualaufklärung.

«Schaden kann es nicht»

Von einem Verfall der Moral wollen die Experten aber nichts wissen: «Ich stelle das Jugend-Kondom zwar infrage, finde es aber per se nicht problematisch», sagt Esther Elisabeth Schütz, Leiterin des Instituts für Sexualpädagogik in Zürich. «Schaden kann es nicht.» Die Sexologin glaubt, dass es eher darum gehe, junge Kunden an die Marke zu binden. Dass «Hotshot» bei den Jugendlichen ein Renner wird, bezweifelt sie aber trotzdem. «Die Jugendlichen wollen doch kein extra für sie konzipiertes Kondom. Das fänden sie peinlich. Sie wollen erwachsen sein und wählen deshalb eher das Produkt für Erwachsene.»

Dass das Kondom ab 12 Jahren eine falsche Botschaft geben und Jugendliche zu frühem Sex verleiten könnte, glaubt Schütz ebenso wenig: «Wir klären Kinder bereits ab 10 Jahren auf. Deswegen haben die Kinder trotzdem nicht schon ab diesem Alter Sex.» Hauptsache sei, dass die Jugendlichen beim Kauf eines Kondoms eine Wahl haben und Fachleute im Vorfeld mit den Teenagern über Sexualität gesprochen haben.
(Tagesanzeiger.ch/Newsnetz)

Erstellt: 01.03.2010, 12:45 Uhr

www.condomerie.com/condoomsopmaat

Voor een interview met Theodoor van Boven (oprichter Condomerie) over het Pubercondoom klik onderstaande link:

http://www.rtl.nl/components/actueel/editienl/miMedia/2010/week09/vr_kindercondoom.avi_plain.xml

Called the Hotshot, the condom has been produced after government research showed 12 to14-year-olds did not use sufficient protection when having sex.

The study, conducted on behalf of the Federal Commission for Children and Youth, interviewed 1,480 people aged 10 to 20. It showed more 12 to 14-year-olds were having sex, in comparison with the 1990s.

The Hotshot condoms, which cost 7fr60 (£4.70) for a packet of six, have been created by Lamprecht AG, a leading condom manufacturer in Switzerland.

The company has said the UK would be "top priority" if they expanded abroad, considering that it has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.

Nysse Norballe, a spokesman for the company, said: "At the moment we are only producing the Hotshot in Switzerland. But the UK is certainly a very attractive market since there is a very high rate of underage conception. The UK would definitely be top priority if we marketed abroad."

A standard condom has a diameter of 2ins (5.2cm) in comparison with the Hotshot's diameter of 1.7ins (4.5cm). Both are the same length – 7.4ins (19cm).

According to a German study of 12,970 13 to 20-year-olds, a quarter said a standard condom was too large.

Family planning groups and the Swiss Aids Federation campaigned to have the Hotshot produced after a number of studies, including the government study researched at the Centre for Development and Personality Psychology at Basel University.

Nancy Bodmer, who headed the research, said: "The result that shocked us concerned young boys who display apparently risky behaviour. They have more of a tendency not to protect themselves. They do not have a very developed sexual knowledge. They do not understand the consequences of what they are doing and leave the young girls to take care of the consequences.

"The results of this study suggest that early prevention makes sense." The age of consent in Switzerland is 16, although if the age difference is not more than three years there will be no punishment. Other concessions exist if the older person is not more than 20 or believed the younger person to be at least 16.

The Swiss initiative comes as the UK government announces an overhaul of its teenage pregnancy strategy after new figures showed conception rate among 18s were not falling fast enough.

The UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. In 1999, the government pledged to halve the teenage conception rate within 10 years. But data released last week from The Office for National Statistics shows it has clearly failed to make any significant impact.

Badly fitted condoms do not just reduce the pleasure of sex for men and women - they raise the risks of infection and pregnancy, researchers say.

Men are twice as likely to take the condom off midway through sex due to a poor fit, a poll of 436 men in Sexually Transmitted Infections journal reveals.

Ill-fitting condoms more than doubled the chances of them splitting or slipping off, a Kentucky team found.

UK experts said men should know condoms came in different shapes en sizes.

Het hele artikel is te vinden op: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8516654.stm

Ze komen voor het voetbal maar misschien willen de fans ook nog iets anders scoren, constateerde de bewindsvrouw voor sport in een ontmoeting met Zuid-Afrikaanse media. Er is al maanden een tekort aan condooms in Zuid-Afrika.

Ongeveer 12.000 Oranjefans zullen volgend jaar afreizen naar de wereldkampioenschappen voetbal in Zuid-Afrika. Tijdens een ere-ontvangst van Zuid-Afrikaanse journalisten in het Olympisch Stadion te Amsterdam kwam de kwestie ter sprake.

Bussemaker: "Zuid-Afrikanen hebben me gewezen op een mogelijk tekort aan condooms. Het was niet mijn idee. Het werd me verteld door een organisatie die strijd tegen aids in Kaapstad. Ze vertelden me dat het een probleem kan worden bij de wereldcup. Ik vind het een goed voorstel dat fans hun eigen condooms meenemen als ze denken die nodig te hebben want er is het risico van besmetting met HIV." De staatssecretaris heeft de KNVB ook opgeroepen goede voorlichting te geven aan de fans.

Zuid-Afrika kampte de afgelopen maanden verschillende malen met een ernstig tekort aan condooms onder meer omdat wegens corruptie ondeugdelijke condooms toch werden uitgedeeld. In verschillende plaatsen worden condooms door de overheid gratis ter beschikking gesteld. In Kaapstad zou het probleem op dit moment niet spelen.

Zuid-Afrika telt het hoogste aantal hiv-besmettingen ter wereld. Een op de drie vrouwen tussen de 25 en 29 jaar is besmet. In totaal wordt het aantal besmettingen geschat op meer dan vijf miljoen, 11 procent van de bevolking. Vorig jaar overleden er een kwart miljoen mensen aan de gevolgen van aids. 

Dat meldde het Thaise dagblad The Nation vrijdag. Het wegwerplint is onderdeel van een nieuwe campagne van het Thaise ministerie van Volksgezondheidheid. Het kan een omvang meten van tussen de 49 en 56 millimeter, waarbinnen in ieder geval de standaardmaat van de Thaise penis valt. De campagne is gelanceerd vanwege het toenemende aantal hiv-infecties in Thailand onder homosexuele mannen en vrouwen die werken in de seksindustrie.

De Thaise overheid zal in het hele land gratis condooms en meetlintjes gaan uitdelen aan homo's en jongeren tussen de 15 en 25 jaar, waarbij het belang van de juiste maat wordt benadrukt.''Condooms die goed passen zijn heel belangrijk voor de aanpak van het aids- en hiv-probleem in Thailand'', aldus Somyos Kittimankhong van de afdeling Ziektebestrijding van het ministerie. ''Condooms die te groot zijn, kunnen afglijden of het plezier bederven. Te kleine condooms veroorzaken ongemak. Dit weerhoudt mensen ervan ze te gebruiken.''

Volgens cijfers van de Thaise overheid is het aantal hiv-besmettingen onder homosexuele mannen in Thailand gestegen van 17 procent in 2003 tot 32 procent in 2007.

Bron: The Nation, Daily Xpress (Thailand). 20 november 2009 www.nationmultimedia.com

Drie op de vier Britse vrouwen onder de vijftig jaar gebruikt een vorm van anticonceptie, meldt The Telegraph. Een kwart slikt de pil en een kwart gebruik condooms. Vorig jaar was nog 28 procent aan de pil en gebruikte 24 procent condooms. Het is voor het eerst dat de anticonceptiemethoden gelijk op gaan sinds ze met elkaar worden vergeleken. 

Ongeveer negentig procent van de mannen en vrouwen die condooms gebruiken doen dit om zwangerschap te voorkomen, 45 procent gebruikt ze als bescherming tegen Seksueel Overdraagbare Aandoeningen.

Deskundigen denken dat zorgen over de gezondheid bij de pilslikkers, de verschuiving veroorzaakt, gecombineerd met waarschuwingen tegen SOA’s. De stijging van het condoomgebruik is goed nieuws omdat condooms dubbele bescherming bieden, tegen zwangerschap én SOA’s.

Unique opportunity
The YSL art collection turned out to be a crowd magnet
Matisse's 1911 painting of a vase of cowslips on red and blue and pink tablecloth went for about 31.6 million, not counting the buyer's fee of 12 percent. The estimate for the work by Christie's auction house, which is holding the sale, had been 12 million to 18 million euros.
"Quality pieces of modern art, works that live, in a good state of conservation, can get record prices," said Thomas Seydoux, head of modern art at Christie's. "These are unique opportunities and people know they won't come up again."
 
Mondrian's 1922 work "Composition in Blue, Red, Yellow and Black," which had inspired the designer's groundbreaking 1965 day dress, fetched 19 million euros, nearly double its top estimate.
 
Duchamp's 1921 piece of "found art" -- a bottle of breath freshener -- sold for 8.9 million euros, almost six times its estimated price.
 
Crowd magnet
YSL reworked the rules of fashion
The collection was amassed by Saint Laurent and his long-time partner Pierre Berge over 50 years.
Crowds lined up for hours at the weekend to view the collection under the glass and cast iron vaults of the Grand Palais exhibition hall on the banks of the Seine. Berge said he had been "profoundly touched" by the wide public interest in the sale.
 
"I think Yves would've been very happy," he told the press.
 
Part of the proceeds are to go to an association that bankrolls AIDS research.
 
Surprisingly, the work considered the auction's central piece, a 1914 Cubist painting by Picasso titled Musical Instruments on a Table, estimated at 25 million to 30 million euros, went unsold after failing to attract the minimum price.
 
"I'm very happy because now I can keep it," Berge said. "Not only did this sale attain an unexpected sum, but on top of that I won a Picasso."
 
Legal victory
Saint Laurent designed Mondrian-inspired dresses in 1965
The sale scored a legal victory earlier on Monday when a French judge rejected a petition to block the sale of two Chinese bronze animal heads.
The Association for the Protection of Chinese Art in Europe had tried to prevent Christie's from selling the two 18th century Qing dynasty bronzes because they were allegedly looted from China by British and French troops 150 years ago.
 Berge approved the judge's decision and reiterated an offer to trade the relics with China, if the country becomes more democratic.
"I'm absolutely ready to give the two heads to China," he said. "The only thing I ask is for China to give human rights, liberty to Tibet and to welcome the Dalai Lama."
 
Saint Laurent died in June 2008 of a brain tumor.

Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Yves Saint Laurent’s art collection set an auction record last night as collectors in Paris defied the economic slump to set new high prices for works by Matisse, Brancusi, Mondrian and Duchamp.

Christie’s International’s first evening of a three-day event fetched 206.2 million euros ($262 million) with fees, the most made at auction for the sale of a private collection.

The offer of items owned by the late fashion designer and his former partner Pierre Berge comes as the proportion of lots selling at some auctions -- and prices of works -- have dropped. London-based Christie’s and its rival Sotheby’s have cut jobs.

“A collection with this quality of modern paintings is scarce,” said Pierre Loudmer, a Paris-based art adviser. He said he was not surprised to see high prices paid even in a recession: “Established private collectors, art foundations and new players want this kind of cake.”

Seven artists’ records were achieved, headed by the 35.9 million euros, with fees, paid for Henri Matisse’s 1911 still life of cowslips in a vase, “Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose,” estimated at 12 million euros to 18 million euros.

The vibrantly-colored 2-foot, 4-inch high canvas had been bought by Saint Laurent and Berge in 1981 from the Paris dealers Galerie Tarica. The work was bought in the room by the New York- based art dealer Franck Giraud. The auction record for Matisse was previously $33.6 million, set at Christie’s New York in November 2006.

“This was a very important, very good painting,” Loudmer said in an interview.

Brancusi, Mondrian

Records for individual artists were also set when telephone buyers paid 29.2 million euros, with fees, for Constantin Brancusi’s wooden sculpture “Madame L.R. (Portrait de Mme L.R.),” dating from 1914-17, and 21.6 million euros for the 1922 Piet Mondrian abstract “Composition avec bleu, rouge, jaune et noir” (“Composition With Blue, Red, Yellow and Black”). Mondrian’s paintings had inspired one of Saint Laurent’s most famous dress designs during the 1960s.

The two works carried high estimates of 20 million euros and 10 million euros respectively.

The evening’s most spectacular performance against estimate was the 8.9 million euros paid by another telephone bidder for a unique 1921 Marcel Duchamp “readymade” of a perfume bottle with a photograph of the artist’s female alter ego, “Rrose Selavy,” on the label, taken by fellow-surrealist, Man Ray. The 6-inch high boxed bottle, featured in many books on Duchamp, had been acquired by Saint Laurent and Berge in 1990, also from the Paris dealers Galerie Tarica, who supplied the couple with their most important acquisitions.

Duchamp Record

Before the auction, dealers said that this was the first time a major unique, rather than editioned work by Duchamp had come on the auction market in recent years. The final price quintupled the high estimate and exceeded the auction high of $1.8 million paid in 1999 for a replica of the artist’s notorious urinal readymade.

The only significant failure of the night was Pablo Picasso’s 1914 Synthetic Cubist still life, “Instruments de musique sur un gueridon.” Even though the estimate on this somber gray 4-foot-high painting have been reduced to as little as 25 million euros from the original estimate, made in September, of between 30 million euros and 40 million euros, it failed to attract any bids.

“It was too classic. It’s not the taste of today,” Paolo Vedovi, director of Brussels-based Galerie Vedovi, said in an interview. He commented on the other prices: “I can now phone up my clients and say there is nothing wrong with the market.”

Earlier, Vedovi was one of the underbidders on the 1892 James Ensor painting “Le desespoir de Pierrot (Pierrot le jaloux),” which fetched a record 5 million euros, with fees, double the mid-estimate.

Picasso Fails

The Picasso was one of only two lots that failed to sell out of 61 works of Impressionist and modern art offered to an invited audience of 1,800 collectors and dealers in the cavernous cast-iron and glass nave of the Art Nouveau-style Grand Palais.

After the auction, Berge said he would be donating the Picasso to the Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation.

Proceeds from the sale -- held in collaboration with Berge’s own Paris-based auction house, Pierre Berge & Associates -- will benefit the foundation and research into AIDS, he said.

The final total with fees exceeded the presale high estimate of 181 million euros, based on hammer prices. The total for all three days was expected to be between 200 million euros and 300 million euros.

Ganz Collection

The record for a single collection at auction, from 1997, was previously $206.5 million with fees, set with a Christie’s New York sale of modern artworks owned by the Manhattan collectors Victor and Sally Ganz.

Berge became the sole owner of the collection in 2008, following the death of Saint Laurent in June, aged 71. Earlier in the year the two of them had formed a civil union.

Saint Laurent and Berge co-founded the Yves Saint Laurent couture house in 1961. It closed in 2002, the year in which the couple’s foundation was established.

“We’ve achieved some benchmark values tonight,” said Jussi Pylkkanen, Christie’s European president. When asked why individuals were willing to spend such large amounts of money in an economic slump, Pylkkanen said: “Wealthy people feel confident about buying rare works by modern artists like Matisse, Brancusi and Mondrian. They have a measurable intrinsic value that isn’t so easy to find in other areas of the economy at the moment.”

Long Line

The pre-auction viewing of the art collection drew 35,000 visitors, said Christie’s. On Saturday, the line in front of the Grand Palais stretched nearly a kilometer long.

Among the last-minute VIP visitors to the exhibition hall, just four hours before the sale, was Russian billionaire art collector Roman Abramovich, accompanied by dealer Larry Gagosian. Christie’s owner, French billionaire Francois Pinault, was present at the sale.

The Saint Laurent estate can go ahead with the sale of two Qing Dynasty bronze sculptures on Feb. 25, a Paris court ruled yesterday, after lawyers from China argued for their return.

Juist bij een krimpende economie zijn ruimere en passende condooms een verademing! Vanaf nu heeft de Condomerie nieuwe maten erbij. Eindelijk CAS 2 (smaller) en 7 & 8 (ruimer)!

Te koop online in onze webshop, maar u bent natuurlijk ook van harte welkom in onze winkel in het centrum van Amsterdam, waar ons deskundig team voor u klaarstaat voor advies op maat!

King Size (nieuw!) - 12 condooms voor € 9,50                     Grootste condoom van het bekende Engelse merk Pasante. Rechte vorm, met zaadreservoir en glijmiddel, mooi verpakt en aangenaam groter.   Grotere maat - CAS 7/7/oo/F Meer informatie...

King Size (new!) - 15 condoms for € 9,50                     The largest condom of the famous English brand Pasante. Straight shaped, teat-ended, lubricated condom, nicely packaged and pleasantly wider. Larger size - CAS 7/7/oo/F Meer informatie...

INHOUD / CONTENT

Uitbreiding assortiment met nieuwe maten!                                       MySize (nieuw!) - 15 condooms voor € 9,75                                       King Size (nieuw!) - 12 condooms voor € 9,50                                                                             ENGLISH                                       Assortment extension with new sizes!                                       MySize (new!) - 15 condoms for € 9,75                                       King Size (new!) - 15 condoms for € 9,50

When the economy shrinks, wider condoms are a great relief! Starting today Condomerie offers more sizes! Finally CAS 2 (snugger) and 7 & 8 (wider)!

You can buy these condoms online in our webshop, but of course you are welcome in our shop in the centre of Amsterdam as well. Our expert team is ready to help you with custom advice.

King Size (new!) - 15 condoms for € 9,50                     The largest condom of the famous English brand Pasante. Straight shaped, teat-ended, lubricated condom, nicely packaged and pleasantly wider. Larger size - CAS 7/7/oo/F Meer informatie...

President Barack Obama quietly overturned the "global gag rule" Friday, allowing U.S. foreign-aid dollars to flow again to international family-planning programs that offer abortion or advocate for abortion rights.

He also said he would work to restore funding for the United Nations Population Fund, which pays for similar family-planning programs in a wider range of countries. And he vowed to search for common ground between people on both sides of the issue.

Supporters say that funding contraception helps women plan their families and prevents unwanted pregnancies, reducing the need for abortion. Opponents say it will allow for backdoor taxpayer support of abortion.



Landov
Abortion-rights backers and opponents faced off in Washington Thursday. President Obama will wait to announce a restoration of funds for overseas groups involved in abortion until after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
These policies have been political footballs, with U.S. policy changing depending on which party controls the White House.

Mr. Obama said in a statement that it is time to move past "this stale and fruitless debate" and that his administration will initiate a "fresh conversation" about family planning in coming weeks.

"For too long, international family planning assistance has been used as a political wedge issue," he said.

In acting Friday, he was carrying out a campaign promise to change the policy, but doing so in a way aimed at lowering the heat around the issue. He signed a memorandum changing the policy privately and didn't release it until Friday evening. That contrasts with other policy changes this week, on lobbying and national security, which he signed before cameras and invited guests at midday.

Mr. Obama also chose not to issue the policy change on Thursday, the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, a day that is highly charged, particularly for abortion opponents.

The president took two actions Friday. First, he lifted restrictions on international organizations that accept funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Under the Bush administration, agencies that accepted the funding couldn't advocate, counsel, refer or offer abortion, even if they used money that came from other sources. As a result, many organizations opted out of the program.

In 2007, the agency spent $450 million on family planning and reproductive-health programs in more than 65 countries, such as making contraception more widely available. The Obama policy change does nothing to increase the dollars available, but makes them available to a wider range of grantees.

Mr. Obama also said he would work with Congress to restore U.S. funding for the U.N. Population Fund. Mr. Bush, like his Republican predecessors, concluded that the fund supported China's one-child policy and therefore, under U.S. law, wasn't eligible for taxpayer funding. Supporters of the fund say that it isn't involved in the China policy and point to studies that back them up.

Congress has consistently appropriated funding for the agency, all of which was diverted by the Bush administration to other programs. Advocates calculate that a total of $235 million since 2002 has been withheld from the U.N. program, which serves about 150 nations.

The policy change was welcomed by women's health advocates, but many abortion opponents said it amounts to taxpayer-funded abortion.

"He is effectively guaranteeing more abortions by funding groups that promote abortion as a method of population control," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee.

Advocates of the change said that the most experienced groups, including many affiliated with the International Planned Parenthood Federation, will now be eligible again for funding.

Many of these agencies have large networks in tough-to-reach areas, are well respected locally and have the strongest track record, said Tod Preston, a lobbyist for Population Action International, a research and advocacy organization.

"President Obama has lifted the stranglehold on women's health across the globe," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The move, she said, "ends eight long years of policies that have blocked access to basic health care for women world-wide."

Write to Laura Meckler at laura.meckler@wsj.com

COC Nederland gaat haar activiteiten toespitsen op haar kerntaken en daartoe behoren de werkzaamheden van Stichting Safe Service niet langer. COC Nederland is daarom trots dat gemeld kan worden dat in de Condomerie de ideale partner gevonden is om de activiteiten van Safe Service per 1 januari 2009 aan over te dragen.

Foto: Theodoor van Boven, founding Director van de Condomerie, en Pascal van der Maas, directeur van COC Nederland, bezegelen de overdracht met een handdruk
 
De Condomerie bleek al ras de ideale partner te zijn om de bedrijfsactiviteiten van Safe Servicee aan over te dragen. De Condomerie heeft immers als core business de distributie, verkoop en advisering rond condoom- en glijmiddelengebruik. Het aanbod naar de klanten van Safe Service komt hierdoor op een hoger plan. Heel positief is dat de Condomerie ook een specifiek aanbod voor vrouwen heeft, bijvoorbeeld op het vlak van glijmiddelen.

COC Nederland is verheugd dat de Condomerie een stichting gaat opzetten, Stichting Condomerie Foundation for Safe Service, om uit de opbrengsten ook ideële activiteiten te kunnen ondernemen of te sponsoren, die gerelateerd zijn aan condoom- en glijmiddelgebruik (soa, hiv, aids, geboortebeperking). Dat is een uitbreiding van de doelstelling die Stichting Safe Service had.

Foto Safe Service - COC Nederland bij de Condomerie: Ondertekening van alle vier de contracten.                                 van links naar rechts : Bart-Jan Mulder [ Safe Service] , T van Boven [ Condomerie] , Vera Bergkamp [ COC], Thialda Straat [ Condomerie] , Pascal van der Maat [ COC], Michel van Driel [ COC] J. Miltenburg [ Condomerie] , Marijke Vilijn [ Condomerie]
 
COC Nederland hecht er zeer aan dat het Condoomdistributieproject –de verkoop van condooms via automaten en displays in de Nederlandse en Vlaamse homohoreca - doorgang vindt. De Condomerie onderschrijft dit belang en zal de uitvoering dan ook voortzetten.
 
Voor de klanten van Safe Service geldt dat het vertrouwde gezicht en stem van Bart-Jan Mulder 'meeverhuist' naar de Condomerie. Ook het telefoonnummer en adres veranderen niet meteen. Klanten krijgen nog een e-mail met specifieke informatie.
 
[Bron: COC NL/Safe Service-Condomerie]

On Dec. 11,2008 an FDA committee voted on a pre-market approval application for a cheaper version of the female condom <http://www.ippf.org/en/Resources/Guides-toolkits/Female+condoms.htm> , first introduced 14 years ago. The product is hailed as an important tool in preventing AIDS, but is poorly promoted.  It's squeaky, squishy, baggy and bunchy. And it could help save women's lives. That's the word on a new female condom that a Food and Drug Administration committee may recommend for market approval. Like the other version of the female condom, the "FC" approved by the FDA in 1994, the second-generation "FC2" is made by the Chicago-based Female Health Company. Just as effective as its predecessor at preventing unwanted pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the new version is made of nitrile, a cheaper material than the older version's polyurethane, and is 30 percent less expensive. Cost estimates range from $1.40 to $2.10 for consumers and about half that for health care organizations that distribute it. The new condom has won support from women's advocates for its reduced price and because women can insert it without a sexual partner's help. "Our interest in seeing a second-generation female condom comes from the changing face of the AIDS epidemic," says Kirsten Moore, president of the Washington-based Reproductive Health Technologies Project. "With the growing number of women becoming infected with HIV, we clearly need more and better female-controlled prevention options." The women's health organizations scheduled to speak before the FDA's Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Advisory Committee today include representatives of the Atlanta-based SisterLove; the Washington-based National Women's Health Network; and the Washington-based National Research Center for Women and Families. They will convene in Gaithersburg, Md., near the FDA's headquarters in Rockville, Md. Eighty-seven U.S. advocacy groups and 50 international groups are submitting a petition in favor of FC2. Other health authorities, such as the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, are submitting separate letters of support. Health advocates say that if the government moves quickly in recommending FC2 approval, the new condom could be on U.S. pharmacy shelves, and in the hands of aid organizations that distribute it worldwide, some time in 2009. Strong Research Backing The old-style FC female condom is available in the United States and 108 other countries. It is 95 percent effective at preventing pregnancy if used correctly and 80 percent effective if not used correctly every time, reports the Washington-based Planned Parenthood Federation of America. It reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infection by 97 percent, studies from the United States and Thailand show. Research from Japan, Great Britain and Madagascar indicates the newer version has the same efficacy rates. Except for the different material, FC2 is otherwise indistinguishable from FC. It has the same baggy, six-and-a-half-inch cylindrical shape; a tube with flexible rings at both ends, with one end open and the other end closed. Both versions are safe for people who have allergies to the latex found in male condoms. Both can be used for anal as well as vaginal sex, and both stay in place whether or not a male partner has a full erection. "I find it empowering to be able to take charge and put on the female condom myself," says Linda Arnade, a health worker in Chicago who has used FC for three years. "I like being able to put it in several hours before sex, and the fact that the material feels stronger than latex. I once had a male condom break, but that's never happened to me with the female condom." Alongside these advantages come some drawbacks. "The female condom's biggest problem is likely its cost," says Amy Allina, program director of the National Women's Health Network. "The high price makes it difficult for consumers and aid organizations to afford consistent supplies." Female condoms are roughly seven times more expensive than male condoms. There's also the problem of customer complaints. "Some women report that the female condom squeaks," says Serra Sippel, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Health and Gender Equity. "But more lubrication can help with that problem, and the newer version is supposed to be less noisy." "My partner and I got a female condom more than a year ago," says Leslie Booker, a youth advocate in New York City. "We're curious about using it, but every few months, we take it out and stare at it just don't know where to begin because it's so baggy, bulky and unwieldy." To use the female condom correctly and prevent slippage, women must follow the device's diagramed instructions, learning how to pinch the condom's inner ring, slip that ring inside the vagina and fit around the cervix, all while fitting the outer ring snugly around the labia.

A Growing Need
Health advocates say the female condom would likely win more converts if there was a concerted effort to educate women about how it works. Manufacturer studies show 50 to 70 percent of users find the device acceptable once they have experience using it. Due to a lack of investment, education efforts have so far fallen flat. "We're a small manufacturing company, and we just haven't had the resources to mount massive marketing campaigns," says Jack Weissman, a vice president at the Female Health Company of Chicago, the sole maker and supplier of the FC and FC2. Women's advocates say a combination of high costs, limited availability, insufficient political will and a lack of social acceptability pose problems in promoting the product. That's especially true in AIDS-ravaged regions such as Africa, where 75 percent of HIV-positive women live and where female condoms may be needed most. "Nongovernmental organizations in Africa have clients who want female condoms, but they don't have enough of them to hand out," says Anna Forbes, deputy director of the Washington-based Global Campaign for Microbicides. "One health worker in Rwanda told me she mentions the female condom as part of her HIV-prevention workshop, but has never actually seen one herself. Female condoms are in fact so rare that they represent just 0.2 percent of the world's total condom supply." As they make their case to the FDA committee today, health advocates plan to stress the needs of at-risk women who receive female condoms through national and international health programs, which distribute more than 90 percent of the 35 million female condoms manufactured each year. More than 15.5 million women worldwide are HIV-positive, and women comprise half of all HIV cases, reports the Geneva-based World Health Organization. More than 280,000 U.S. women have HIV, and its incidence among them has quadrupled in the past two decades, reports the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Because FC2 has been approved by the World Health Organization, it is already being purchased and used by international aid organizations that don't rely on FDA approval," says Sippel. "But health organizations here must wait for FDA approval, which could greatly help them in their efforts to save more women's lives."
 
Source: Women's eNews, 12 December 2008

FDA Holds Meeting on New Female Condom
By Molly M. Ginty  WeNews correspondent

On Dec. 11, an FDA committee will vote on a pre-market approval application for a cheaper version of the female condom, first introduced 14 years ago. The product is hailed as an important tool in preventing AIDS, but is poorly promoted.

(WOMENSENEWS)--It's squeaky, squishy, baggy and bunchy. And it could help save women's lives.

That's the word on a new female condom that a Food and Drug Administration committee may recommend for market approval today.

Like the other version of the female condom--the "FC" approved by the FDA in 1994--the second-generation "FC2" is made by the Chicago-based Female Health Company. Just as effective as its predecessor at preventing unwanted pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the new version is made of nitrile, a cheaper material than the older version's polyurethane, and is 30 percent less expensive.

Cost estimates range from $1.40 to $2.10 for consumers and about half that for health care organizations that distribute it. The new condom has won support from women's advocates for its reduced price and because women can insert it without a sexual partner's help.

"Our interest in seeing a second-generation female condom comes from the changing face of the AIDS epidemic," says Kirsten Moore, president of the Washington-based Reproductive Health Technologies Project. "With the growing number of women becoming infected with HIV, we clearly need more and better female-controlled prevention options."

The women's health organizations scheduled to speak before the FDA's Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Advisory Committee today include representatives of the Atlanta-based SisterLove; the Washington-based National Women's Health Network; and the Washington-based National Research Center for Women and Families. They will convene in Gaithersburg, Md., near the FDA's headquarters in Rockville, Md.

Eighty-seven U.S. advocacy groups and 50 international groups are submitting a petition in favor of FC2. Other health authorities, such as the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, are submitting separate letters of support.

Health advocates say that if the government moves quickly in recommending FC2 approval, the new condom could be on U.S. pharmacy shelves--and in the hands of aid organizations that distribute it worldwide--some time in 2009.

Strong Research Backing

The old-style FC female condom is available in the United States and 108 other countries. It is 95 percent effective at preventing pregnancy if used correctly and 80 percent effective if not used correctly every time, reports the Washington-based Planned Parenthood Federation of America. It reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infection by 97 percent, studies from the United States and Thailand show.

Research from Japan, Great Britain and Madagascar indicates the newer version has the same efficacy rates. Except for the different material, FC2 is otherwise indistinguishable from FC. It has the same baggy, six-and-a-half-inch cylindrical shape; a tube with flexible rings at both ends, with one end open and the other end closed.

Both versions are safe for people who have allergies to the latex found in male condoms. Both can be used for anal as well as vaginal sex, and both stay in place whether or not a male partner has a full erection.

"I find it empowering to be able to take charge and put on the female condom myself," says Linda Arnade, a health worker in Chicago who has used FC for three years. "I like being able to put it in several hours before sex, and the fact that the material feels stronger than latex. I once had a male condom break, but that's never happened to me with the female condom."

Alongside these advantages come some drawbacks.

"The female condom's biggest problem is likely its cost," says Amy Allina, program director of the National Women's Health Network. "The high price makes it difficult for consumers and aid organizations to afford consistent supplies." Female condoms are roughly seven times more expensive than male condoms.

There's also the problem of customer complaints.

"Some women report that the female condom squeaks," says Serra Sippel, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Health and Gender Equity. "But more lubrication can help with that problem, and the newer version is supposed to be less noisy."

"My partner and I got a female condom more than a year ago," says Leslie Booker, a youth advocate in New York City. "We're curious about using it, but every few months, we take it out and stare at it just don't know where to begin because it's so baggy, bulky and unwieldy."

To use the female condom correctly and prevent slippage, women must follow the device's diagramed instructions, learning how to pinch the condom's inner ring, slip that ring inside the vagina and fit around the cervix, all while fitting the outer ring snugly around the labia.

A Growing Need

Health advocates say the female condom would likely win more converts if there was a concerted effort to educate women about how it works. Manufacturer studies show 50 to 70 percent of users find the device acceptable once they have experience using it.

Due to a lack of investment, education efforts have so far fallen flat.

"We're a small manufacturing company, and we just haven't had the resources to mount massive marketing campaigns," says Jack Weissman, a vice president at the Female Health Company of Chicago, the sole maker and supplier of the FC and FC2.

Women's advocates say a combination of high costs, limited availability, insufficient political will and a lack of social acceptability pose problems in promoting the product. That's especially true in AIDS-ravaged regions such as Africa, where 75 percent of HIV-positive women live and where female condoms may be needed most.

"Nongovernmental organizations in Africa have clients who want female condoms, but they don't have enough of them to hand out," says Anna Forbes, deputy director of the Washington-based Global Campaign for Microbicides. "One health worker in Rwanda told me she mentions the female condom as part of her HIV-prevention workshop, but has never actually seen one herself. Female condoms are in fact so rare that they represent just 0.2 percent of the world's total condom supply."

As they make their case to the FDA committee today, health advocates plan to stress the needs of at-risk women who receive female condoms through national and international health programs, which distribute more than 90 percent of the 35 million female condoms manufactured each year.

More than 15.5 million women worldwide are HIV-positive, and women comprise half of all HIV cases, reports the Geneva-based World Health Organization. More than 280,000 U.S. women have HIV, and its incidence among them has quadrupled in the past two decades, reports the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Because FC2 has been approved by the World Health Organization, it is already being purchased and used by international aid organizations that don't rely on FDA approval," says Sippel. "But health organizations here must wait for FDA approval, which could greatly help them in their efforts to save more women's lives."

Molly M. Ginty is a freelance writer based in New York City.

Women's eNews welcomes your comments. E-mail to editors@womensenews.org.                   
               

Chlamydia is de meest voorkomende seksueel overdraagbare aandoening (SOA) onder jongeren. Het venijnige is dat de ziekte zich in het beginstadium niet herkenbaar manifesteert met opvallende symptomen. In een later stadium kan chlamydia echter lelijke infecties veroorzaken. 

In 2003 bleek uit een soortgelijk onderzoek in de grote steden dat tussen de 2 en 3 procent een chlamydia-infectie had. Maar aan dat onderzoek namen ook niet-seksueel actieve mensen mee.

Testpakket

De gezondheidsinstellingen hebben 57.000 jongeren uitgenodigd om deel te nemen aan de grootscheepse chlamydiatest. Van hen hebben elfduizend een testpakket aangevraagd.

Vier op de vijf jongeren stuurden ook een urinemonster terug. Opvallend is dat twee keer zoveel vrouwen als mannen aan de test meededen

www.chlamydiatest.nl

Waarom screening op Chlamydia?

Wat is screening
Screening is een vorm van preventie. Een meer bekende term voor screening is bevolkingsonderzoek. Bij screening wordt een in principe gezonde groep mensen onderzocht, in dit geval op chlamydia. Het doel hiervan is om mensen zonder klachten van chlamydia te onderzoeken en zonodig te behandelen. Omdat veel mannen en vrouwen geen klachten hebben, merken ze vaak niet dat ze chlamydia hebben; zonder het te weten kunnen ze de soa doorgeven aan anderen. Door screening kan chlamydia vroegtijdig worden opgespoord en behandeld, waardoor ernstige gevolgen later kunnen worden voorkomen. Door deelname aan de screening kun je je eigen gezondheid verbeteren. Wanneer veel mensen aan het screeningsprogramma meedoen, kan hierdoor ook de volksgezondheid verbeteren. Meer informatie over chlamydia vind je op over chlamydia.

Wie screenen
Iedereen die seksueel actief is kan chlamydia oplopen indien de huidige of vroegere sekspartner een chlamydia had en er bij het seksueel contact geen condooms zijn gebruikt. Uit onderzoek blijkt dat chlamydia infecties niet overal even vaak voorkomen.
Er zijn duidelijke risicofactoren te onderscheiden. Dit betekent dat sommige mensen meer risico op chlamydia lopen dan anderen. Dit zijn bijvoorbeeld mensen die meer dan één sekspartner gehad hebben in hun leven of een nieuwe partner in de laatste twee maanden; seksueel actieve jongeren onder de 20 jaar, mensen die al eerder een chlamydia hebben gehad en mensen die zonder condoom vrijen. Daarnaast is uit onderzoek gebleken dat wonen in een grote stad, Surinaams of Antilliaanse achtergrond en een laag opleidingsniveau tot een hoger risico op het krijgen van chlamydia leidt. Vrouwen die in de laatste weken onregelmatig bloedverlies gehad hebben of mannen die in de laatste weken vaker plassen dan normaal hebben ook een grotere kans om chlamydia te hebben, zie ook over chlamydia op de de site van Chlamydia Screening of op de site van de Condomerie over soa en Chlamydia


De Chlamydia Screening in de deelnemende gemeenten is een project van Soa Aids Nederland, GGD Amsterdam, GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond, GGD Zuid Limburg en het RIVM. De Chlamydia Screening is goedgekeurd door ZonMW (Nederlandse organisatie voor gezondheidsonderzoek en zorginnovatie) en een Medische Ethische Commissie.
Het project heeft een looptijd van drie jaar en wordt geëvalueerd door het RIVM. De uitkomsten van het project leiden tot een advies aan de minister van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport (VWS). Er wordt geadviseerd over de uitvoerbaarheid, effectiviteit en kosteneffectiviteit van deze wijze van Chlamydia Screening. De minister bepaalt op basis van dit advies of en hoe Chlamydia Screening landelijk wordt ingevoerd.

Nov. 10 2008 (Bloomberg - USA) -- President-elect Barack Obama will reverse U.S. family-planning and AIDS-prevention strategies that have long linked global funding to anti-abortion and abstinence education, a public-health adviser said.

Public-health policies of President George W. Bush's $45- billion PEPFAR program have brought AIDS drugs to almost 3 million people in poor countries such as Rwanda and Uganda, more than under any other president. Still, requirements that health workers emphasize abstinence from sex and monogamy over condom use have set back sexually transmitted disease prevention and family planning globally, said Susan F. Wood, co-chairman of Obama's advisory committee for women's health.

``We have been going in the wrong direction and we need to turn it around and be promoting prevention and family-planning services and strengthening public health,'' said Wood, a research professor at George Washington University School of Public Health in Washington.

Bush on his first day in office, in January 2001, reinstated the so-called Mexico City Policy -- known to critics as the global gag rule. It bars U.S. family-planning assistance for organizations that use funding from any other source to provide counseling and referral for abortion, lobby to make abortion legal or more available in their country, or perform abortions except in cases of a threat to the woman's life, rape or incest.

Obama ``is committed to looking at all this and changing the policies so that family-planning services -- both in the U.S. and the developing world -- reflect what works, what helps prevent unintended pregnancy, reduce maternal and infant mortality, prevent the spread of disease,'' Wood said.

Gag Rule        Wood resigned as the top U.S. regulator for women's health in 2005 in protest of the Food and Drug Administration's delay in clearing over-the-counter sales of the ``morning after'' emergency contraceptive. Sale of the pill, called Plan B, without a prescription was held up for more than two years, after FDA staff recommended its approval in 2003. Critics of the FDA have named Wood as among candidates they would like Obama to consider for the agency's next commissioner.  ``A lot of the family-planning associations in Africa refused the terms of the gag rule and they lost funding, they lost technical assistance and they lost contraceptives,'' said Wendy Turnbull, a senior policy research analyst with Population Action International in Washington.
On the basis of that policy, Bush halted support for the United Nations Population Fund in 2002, saying it supported ``coercive'' abortion programs in China -- an allegation the New York-based agency has denied. The directive cost the fund more than $200 million in lost funding, said William Ryan, a Bangkok- based spokesman for the agency.

Condom Use     Restrictions on education about condom use have hamstrung effective promotion, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has had some condom information pulled from its Web Site, said Gill Greer, director general of the International Planned Pregnancy Federation in London.
``The U.S. administration has certainly succeeded in demonizing condoms rather than showing that they can be part of prevention of both unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections,'' she said in a telephone interview. ``I've always joked that the whole world should vote in the U.S. election because the whole world is so affected.''
Under President Bush, the U.S. has provided more money to fight AIDS than during any other administration. Seven years ago, before the Bush program began with about $15 billion, only about 200,000 people in poor nations got treatment, and few of them were in Africa.

Abstinence Success     The emphasis on abstinence and fidelity ``has been shown to have demonstrable success in Africa,'' said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association in Washington. ``It would be more than unfortunate if that policy was changed.''
Both Republicans and Democrats have indicated support for the focus on abstinence and education that goes along with PEPFAR, which has also been shown to reduce the spread of HIV in countries such as Uganda, Huber said.
``If the president-elect wants to be science-based in foreign sex-education policies, it would be wisest to continue this way because it's shown to be effective,'' she said.
Calls to the office of Mark Dybul, coordinator for the Bush AIDS treatment program, weren't returned.

Prevention Quest    The decision to focus on abstinence was ``naïve and dangerous,'' and neglected prevention techniques with the most science behind them, said Mitchell Warren, executive director of the New York-based AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.
``Everyone pretty much expects we'll see a return to a true science-based response to HIV under Obama,'' he said in a telephone interview. ``We've seen eight years of a focus on things we know don't work.''  Without a vaccine, AIDS advocates are looking for ways to slow the spread of the HIV virus that currently infects about 33 million people worldwide. Treatment, even with cheaper versions of HIV drugs, is beyond the means of many patients in Africa, where about 24 million infected people live.
The U.S. has played an important role in bringing life- saving treatment to HIV patients who had been unable to get it, said Adel Mahmoud, a former head of Merck & Co. vaccines and professor in the department of molecular biology at Princeton University.
``But when the data says for every person we put on anti- retroviral therapy in Africa there are six new infections and we are doing nothing about it, it's absolutely mind-boggling,'' he said in a telephone interview. ``Prevention is really the solution.''

U.S. Influence    Wood said that, in recent years, the U.S. government has influenced and ``tightly vetted'' international organizations to reflect its own policies.
Obama will bring ``back a sense of balance and perspective and the use of good science and good medicine in these positions, and not just this narrow, political ideology,'' she said.

By Jason Gale and John Lauerman
To contact the reporter on this story: John Lauerman in Boston at jlauerman@bloomberg.ne

IPPF News report on this subject:

Condoms trump abstinence in Obama global AIDS policy
12-11-2008

President-elect Barack Obama will reverse U.S. family-planning and AIDS-prevention strategies that have long linked global funding to anti-abortion and abstinence education, a US public-health advisor said.

Still, requirements that health workers emphasize abstinence from sex and monogamy over condom use have set back sexually transmitted disease prevention and family planning globally, said Susan F. Wood, co-chairman of Obama's advisory committee for women's health and  research professor at George Washington University School of Public Health in Washington.

``We have been going in the wrong direction and we need to turn it around and be promoting prevention and family-planning services and strengthening public health,'' said Wood, a research professor at George Washington University School of Public Health in Washington.

Bush on his first day in office, in January 2001, reinstated the so-called Mexico City Policy -- known to critics as the global gag rule. It bars U.S. family-planning assistance for organizations that use funding from any other source to provide counseling and referral for abortion, lobby to make abortion legal or more available in their country, or perform abortions except in cases of a threat to the woman's life, rape or incest.

Obama ``is committed to looking at all this and changing the policies so that family-planning services -- both in the U.S. and the developing world  - reflect what works, what helps prevent unintended pregnancy, reduce maternal and infant mortality, prevent the spread of disease,'' Wood said.

Wood resigned as the top U.S. regulator for women's health in 2005 in protest of the Food and Drug Administration's delay in clearing over-the-counter sales of the ``morning after'' emergency contraceptive. Sale of the pill, called Plan B, without a prescription was held up for more than two years, after FDA staff recommended its approval in 2003.

Critics of the FDA have named Wood as among candidates they would like Obama to consider for the agency's next commissioner.

``A lot of the family-planning associations in Africa refused the terms of the gag rule and they lost funding, they lost technical assistance and they lost contraceptives,'' said Wendy Turnbull, a senior policy research analyst with Population Action International in Washington.

On the basis of that policy, Bush halted support for the United Nations Population Fund in 2002, saying it supported ``coercive'' abortion programs in China - an allegation the New York-based agency has denied. The directive cost the fund more than $200 million in lost funding, said William Ryan, a Bangkok- based spokesman for the agency.

Restrictions on education about condom use have hamstrung effective promotion, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has had some condom information pulled from its Web Site, said Gill Greer, director general of the International Planned Pregnancy Federation in London.

``The U.S. administration has certainly succeeded in demonizing condoms rather than showing that they can be part of prevention of both unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections,'' she said in a telephone interview. ``I've always joked that the whole world should vote in the U.S. election because the whole world is so affected.''

Under President Bush, the U.S. has provided more money to fight AIDS than during any other administration. Seven years ago, before the Bush program began with about $15 billion, only about 200,000 people in poor nations got treatment, and few of them were in Africa.

The emphasis on abstinence and fidelity ``has been shown to have demonstrable success in Africa,'' said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association in Washington. ``It would be more than unfortunate if that policy was changed.''

Both Republicans and Democrats have indicated support for the focus on abstinence and education that goes along with PEPFAR, which has also been shown to reduce the spread of HIV in countries such as Uganda, Huber said.

The decision to focus on abstinence was ``naïve and dangerous,'' and neglected prevention techniques with the most science behind them, said Mitchell Warren, executive director of the New York-based AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.

``Everyone pretty much expects we'll see a return to a true science-based response to HIV under Obama,'' he said in a telephone interview. ``We've seen eight years of a focus on things we know don't work.''

Without a vaccine, AIDS advocates are looking for ways to slow the spread of the HIV virus that currently infects about 33 million people worldwide.

Treatment, even with cheaper versions of HIV drugs, is beyond the means of many patients in Africa, where about 24 million infected people live.

The U.S. has played an important role in bringing life- saving treatment to HIV patients who had been unable to get it, said Adel Mahmoud, a former head of Merck & Co. vaccines and professor in the department of molecular biology at Princeton University.

Wood said that, in recent years, the U.S. government has influenced and ``tightly vetted'' international organizations to reflect its own policies.

Obama will bring ``back a sense of balance and perspective and the use of good science and good medicine in these positions, and not just this narrow, political ideology,'' she said.

World’s Most Expensive Places to Have Safe Sex

London-UK- 2008

For obvious reasons you can’t recycle a condom, but have you ever wondered which countries “tax” sex the most?
Well… Environmental Graffiti has decided to create a detailed graphical diagram, complete with wallpaper download for your viewing pleasure. The data, which gives the average condom price around the world has been compiled from UK price comparison site pricerunner and a blogger from an interesting little site called condomunity. We thought we’d go one step further however, and create a graphic representation of the findings - I think you’ll agree the graph makes for ‘interesting’ viewing.
When looking at it, please don’t deduce that bar heights are correlated to penis size (that’s just offensive).
Shanghai came out the cheapest with an average price of just $4.50 (£2.25), whilst Ireland was the country where sex costs the most (!) at almost $18 (£9) on average for a pack – (perhaps due to the hostility of the Catholic Church towards contraception?). Prices within the US showed a high amount of variation, from $9.50 (£4.75) in Houston to nearly $15 (£7.50) in New York - feel free to extrapolate from that what you wish…
Condoms can’t be recycled and as such may be considered damaging to the environment. And the solution offered for most things that either cannot be recycled or damage the environment? Tax. Petrol, plastic bags (soon), driving in central London, all cost at a premium. But putting a price on sex? Well that’s just cheap…

thanks to condomunity.com  CHEAP CONDOMS, EXPENSIVE CONDOMS
Update 17.7.08: find an update to this story on Top 7 Places to Get Pregnant.
Here’s an interesting price comparison for a Durex Elite 12 pack kindly served to us by pricerunner. The prices vary from an average 3.15 (GBP) in Shanghai to 12.47 (GBP) in Ireland.
Another interesting aspect of this list is the price for a Durex Elite 12 pack in Houston or Denver compared to the rather high prices in Los Angeles or New York. Obviously there’s a simple solution really: you can buy condoms online. Have a look at the entire list here:
Shanghai £2.27     / Germany £2.75 /  Belgium £3.46 / Austria £3.92 / Czech Republic £4.52 / Houston £4.86
Hungary £5.18 / Denver £5.42 / Seattle £5.59 / Poland £5.91 / France £6.21 / Chicago £6.59 / Miami £6.67 / Los Angeles £7.01 / Portugal £7.17 / New York £7.40 / England £7.57 / Netherlands £7.67 /. Ireland £8.99
While I think quality has its price I don’t really agree with some of these high prices that we find in the UK and Netherlands. [ note of the editor : well, they did not vist the Condomerie, we sell in the shop and online for example 12 durex condoms for euro 2,90 =  £ 2.37 ! is as cheap as in Shanghai or even more cheap if you buy bigger quantities.! ]
Thanks to Dan and Pallab of the Condomunity
 

Condoms getting cheaper
Although the UK is still one of the most expensive places to buy condoms, prices have been steadily falling. In 2003, 12 Durex condoms would have set you back £9.31, whereas now they cost just £7.57. Shanghai has the best global price on condoms with 12 costing only £2.27. Shanghai is also cheapest for cigarettes with 20 Marlboro Lights costing a measly £0.92.  Condoms: Durex Elite. 12 pack    £2.27    Shanghai    £8.99    Ireland
The global PriceRunner study shows that the price of cigarettes has steadily risen in the UK, with a packet of 20 Marlboro Lights costing £4.95 in 2003 compared with £5.33 today.
Mattias Berg, UK Managing Director, PriceRunner commented “Not only is London the most expensive place in the World to watch a film, but Brits have to pay more than anyone other country on a number of key consumer goods. It’s good to see that condoms and other items are coming down in price, but Brits still get a raw deal on entertainment items such as cinema tickets.”

address Environmental Graffiti- Lion House,
72-75 Red Lion Street
Holborn, London WC1R 4NA
United Kingdom

 links to great environment projects:

1- De ' groene' cradle-to-cradle Ford fabriek: http://www.ford.com/innovation/automotive-technology/greener-manufacturing/cleaner-manufacturing/clean-manufacturing-464p

2- Cradle-to-cradle, Het onderwerp van deze tijd,juist in tijden van kredietcrisis:http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm 

3- Green Houses made of Dirt and Straw: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/buildings-dirt-and-straw/3739

Dames en heren,
Wij kunnen ontwikkelingssamenwerking alleen moderniseren, vernieuwen en dus effectiever maken met nieuwe partners. Met u in feite. De luiken moeten open. De hulpindustrie moet worden opengebroken. In Nederland, binnen de VN en in onze partnerlanden. Door problemen centraal te stellen en niet de belangen van de sector. Door coalities aan te gaan metanderen dan de usual suspects. Door maximale transparantie te verlangen en te bieden.

Nieuwe spelers
We moeten om de tafel met nieuwe partners, in Nederland en daarbuiten, voor innovatie en om de krachten te bundelen. Niet alleen met gelijksoortige organisaties binnen de sector, maar juist ook metanderen. Met migrantenorganisaties, gemeentes, beroepsgroepen, het bedrijfsleven, noem maar op. Die kunnen veel meer opbrengen dan ik alleen.

Daarom is het Akkoord van Schokland opgezet. Een groot aantal mensen hier in de zaal is aan het begin van deze kabinetsperiode geconsulteerd over de niches voor Nederland. Dat heeft geleid tot 45 akkoorden, nieuwe energie en miljoenen nieuw geld voor armoedebestrijding uit onverwachte hoeken. De 11 miljoen euro die tot nu toe uit het Schoklandfonds is toegekend, zal de komende jaren leiden tot het viervoud van deze inzet. Samen metartsenverenigingen, ngo’s en de pharmaceutische industrie werken we aan het terugdringen van moedersterfte, met NUON investeren we in duurzame energie voor Afrika, een groep ngo’s bundelt de krachten om onderwijs op te zetten onder de moeilijkste omstandigheden: Afghanistan en Zuid-Sudan.

Dat is voor mij een unieke stimulans. Zoals u weet heb ik gekozen om naast transitielanden waar we binnenkort de hulp kunnen beëindigen en landen die hulp enorm goed kunnen gebruiken om versneld de millennium ontwikkelingsdoelen te kunnen bereiken -de Ghana's en Mozambiques van deze wereld- meer aandacht te besteden aan de moeilijkste categorie: die van de fragiele staten. De Congo's, de Burundi's de Afghanistans van deze wereld. Daar gaan we flexibel werken, veel politieker en soms risicovoller dan in die andere categorieën landen die ik net noemde. Maar altijd verantwoord. Ontwikkelingssamenwerking is vooral daar meer dan techniek, het is uiterst politiek en gaat in de kern om mensenrechten, om de burgers in fragiele staten basisveiligheid en basiszekerheid te geven. Ontwikkelingssamenwerking is daarbij de politiek van de goede bedoelingen lang voorbij. Het gaat om kijken achter de façade, zonder naïviteit, gericht op investeringen in risicovolle omstandigheden. Daar is de Betuwelijn echt niks bij. En in die risicovolle staten zijn de winstmogelijkheden voor mannen en vrouwen om zich uit de armoede te tillen explosief. Daar weet de investeerdermarkt alles van en daar hebben we juist die nieuwe spelers nodig waarover ik zojuist sprak. Civil societies en ngo's zijn essentieel. De versterking van steun van onderop is voor mij essentieel om naast staatsopbouw in die landen verdere marginalisering te voorkomen. Empowerment is zo’n gek woord nog niet. Maar ook dat vereist modernisering van Ontwikkelingssamenwerking.

Medefinancieringsstelsel
De Schoklandgedachte van effectieve samenwerking van meerdere partners, publiek en privaat, zal worden doorgevoerd naar het nieuwe medefinancieringsstelsel. Donderdag heb ik dit aangekondigd bij de Nederlandse particuliere organisaties. Ik accepteer niet langer accepteer dat we overheidsgeld steken in enorme versnippering. We moeten meer focussen op één gezamenlijke agenda. De versnippering voorbij. Daarom ook die consultaties aan het begin van deze regeerperiode. Ik verwacht een gezamenlijke inzet, waarin ieder een eigen rol speelt vanuit meerwaarde en effectiviteit. Ik ga scherper selecteren op die meerwaarde, die uiteraard in een land als Afghanistan anders is dan Tanzania. Daar gaan we organisaties in het nieuwe stelsel kritisch op bevragen en beoordelen.

Ik ga een maximum stellen aan het aantal aanvragen dat ik zal honoreren binnen het nieuwe medefinancieringsstelsel, onder andere door coalities te stimuleren. Nationale en internationale coalities wel te verstaan. Ik zie geen logica om alleen Nederlandse organisaties te financieren als er ook effectieve organisaties buiten Nederland bestaan. Er zijn bijvoorbeeld steeds meer maatschappelijke organisaties in ontwikkelingslanden die mede dankzij steun van onze medefinancieringsorganisaties nu ook prima op eigen benen kunnen staan. Ik wil rechtstreeks ook met hen zaken kunnen doen. Het gaat mij om de effectiviteit en niet om de vestigingsplaats van het hoofdkantoor. Op goede inhoudelijke samenwerkingsverbanden komt een premie te staan. Een bonus zoals we ze wél graag zien!

Internationale inzet
De sector openbreken. Het moet en het kan. Ook internationaal zet ik mij hier voor in.

Ik investeer in fondsen waarin niet alleen de usual suspects zitten. Op het terrein van vaccinaties bijvoorbeeld. Traditionele partijen als de Wereldbank, UNICEF en grote donoren zitten nu samen in één bestuur met ontwikkelingslanden, ngo’s, de private sector en experts uit de financiële wereld. Netwerkvorming rondom essentiële internationale problemen. Ik kan u verzekeren dat die weinig geduld hebben voor de competentiestrijd tussen en binnen de VN en de Wereldbank. Daar worden harde resultaatsafspraken gemaakt. Innovatie vormen van financiering bedacht. Marktmechanismen ingezet waar dat zinnig is. Waardoor er meer aanbieders van vaccins komen, de prijzen dalen en meer kinderen versneld kunnen worden ingeënt tegen levensbedreigende ziektes.

Ook internationaal wordt er een premie gezet op gezamenlijke investeringen. Ik ga de komende jaren niet meer geld investeren in individuele VN-organisaties, maar op fondsen waarin zij samenwerken. Zij moeten meedoen in allianties met marktpartijen en ngo’s. Weg met de logo’s, alleen effectiviteit geldt.

5. Alle hens aan dek voor maximale effectiviteit

Dames en heren,
De effectiviteit van ontwikkelingssamenwerking gaat mij aan het hart. We hebben niet alleen de verplichting ons in te zetten, wij hebben de verplichting om dit goed te doen. Het kan beter en het moet beter. Ik ben trots op al die mensen die niet in fourwheeldrives rondrijden, maar in de moeilijkste omstandigheden hard werken aan de basis, de goede bedoelingen voorbij. Ik heb die plicht tegenover de belastingbetaler en zo voel ik die ook. Alle hens dus aan dek voor maximale effectiviteit. Het vijfde punt van mijn agenda voor modernisering van ontwikkelingssamenwerking.

Wij moeten successen belonen. Zaken die goed lopen moeten worden voorgezet en uitgebreid. En wij moeten ook stoppen met wat niet werkt. Leren van wat er fout ging en mislukkingen niet langer financieren.

Maar we moeten ook durven nuanceren. Want vaak is het niet zwart-wit. Als we effectief willen zijn, moeten we begrijpen hoe lokale processen werken. Hulp als hefboom inzetten betekent inspelen op kansen die situatiespecifiek zijn. Bangladesh is niet Ghana. Onderwijs in Mozambique is echt anders dan in Guatemala. Maatwerk is nodig. Reële armoedeproblemen centraal stellen, niet onze oplossingen. Dat vergt een lange adem. Dat vergt kwaliteit. Ik maak me zorgen over de simplificatie in het publieke debat. Helpt de hulp nou eigenlijk wel? Hulp helpt niet of juist wel, afhankelijk van wie je spreekt. De bodemloze put. Onmogelijke versimpeling. Wij kunnen de werkelijkheid in ontwikkelingslanden niet naar onze hand zetten. Maar we kunnen wel degelijk substantiële invloed uitoefenen. En dat doen we ook.

Ik wil mij intelligent verantwoorden over de effectiviteit van ontwikkelingssamenwerking. Weg van simplificatie en de schijnwerkelijkheid van korte termijn resultaten en toe naar heldere doelstellingen en onafhankelijke evaluatie van doelbereiking. Bij al onze programma’s wordt de uitgangsituatie omschreven op basis van een analyse van de problemen en onze meerwaarde bij de oplossing daarvan. Quality at entry. Dat telt. Dat is nodig om de behaalde resultaten later te kunnen vaststellen. Ik heb afgelopen jaar de instrumenten om deze baseline goed te stellen aangescherpt. Meer aandacht hiervoor voorkomt onnodige meetbureaucratie tijdens de uitvoering.

Komend jaar publiceren we ons derde resultatenrapport. Boordevol met concrete lessen en successen. Gratis schoolboeken voor alle kinderen op de basisscholen in Burkina Faso, mede dankzij forse meerjarige investeringen van Nederland. Verdubbeling van aidsremmers voor HIV-geïnfecteerden in Ghana en daling van HIV-besmettingen onder jonge zwangere vrouwen dankzij de inzet van de Ghanese regering en onze bijdrage daaraan. Consolidatie van de vrede in Aceh na 30 jaar conflict, mede door een inzet op vele fronten van ons land, waaronder onze investering in orde en veiligheidshandhaving door de lokale politie. Deze rapporten laten zien dat de hulp helpt.

Binnen mijn departement zal anders moeten worden gestuurd. Minder op het geld, meer op de aanpak van de mondiale problemen. Zodat er meer ruimte is voor vernieuwing. We hebben meer ambtelijk ondernemerschap nodig en minder ambtelijk spel. Meer inhoud en minder proces. Een kleinere overheid, die slimmer zijn rol speelt. Back Street Boys, Gideonsbendes van vernieuwers. Ruimte voor leren en risico nemen. Geen meetbureaucratie die afleid, maar resultaatgerichtheid die bijdraagt aan effectiviteit Dit moeten geen holle frasen zijn, maar uitgangspunten voor een veranderproces binnen de hele sector.

Afsluiting

Dames en heren, ik rond af.

Investeren in werkbare oplossingen voor mondiale problemen, met maximaal rendement voor burgers in ontwikkelingslanden. Dat klinkt ambitieus en dat is het ook. Want dat is nodig. Maar ambitie moet gepaard gaan met precisie. Activisme met realisme en bescheidenheid.

Laat ik kort samenvatten wat mijn plannen zijn:

1. Drie grote problemen: het klimaatprobleem, vrede en veiligheid en het armoedevraagstuk. De traditionele hulp kan daar onvoldoende antwoord op geven, maar moderne internationale ontwikkelingssamenwerking wel. Daarom lijkt het me goed dat er in het volgende kabinet een nieuwe minister voor Internationale Samenwerking komt, die verantwoordelijk is voor de coördinatie van dit beleid.

2. Meer aandacht voor het bevorderen van economische groei en werkgelegenheid in ontwikkelingslanden. Moderne ontwikkelingssamenwerking kan als hefboom worden gebruikt om investeringen onder moeilijke omstandigheden op gang te brengen. De samenwerking met het ministerie van Landbouw en Milieu wordt op dit terrein geïntensiveerd. Landen die in de nabije toekomst geen ontwikkelingshulp meer nodig hebben, zoals Vietnam, verdwijnen van de lijst van partnerlanden. OS kan goed als hefboom dienen om er voor te zorgen dat de arme landen in Afrika en Azië die het meest te lijden hebben van vervuiling en CO2 niveaus waar zij part nog deel aan hebben. Ik was vorige week in Jemen, een land met een hoge bevolkingsgroei, schaarste aan water, uitputting van grondstoffen en politiek fundamentalistische risico's. Een giftige mix. Onze OS boekt daar enorme resultaten. Ook hier kan OS als hefboom werken voor particulier kapitaal om echte ontwikkeling te mobiliseren.

3. De strijd tegen de corruptie wordt opgevoerd. Er worden scherpe voorwaarden verbonden aan begrotingssteun. Goed bestuur helpt enorm voor ontwikkeling en daarom investeer ik in de opbouw van de rechtsstaat en een goed functionerende overheid. Maar er gaat geen cent naar corrupte regeringen.

4. De hulpindustrie wordt opengebroken. Resultaat en kwaliteit staat voorop. Ontwikkelingssamenwerking moet worden gemoderniseerd en daarbij ga ik op zoek naar de meest effectieve partners. De banden met het bedrijfsleven worden verder aangehaald. In het nieuwe financieringsstel voor maatschappelijke organisaties, zal een kwaliteitstoets worden ingevoerd en afhankelijk daarvan wordt de hoogte van de subsidie vastgesteld. Ook de hulp aan VN-organisaties zal nader worden bezien.

5. De effectiviteit staat centraal. Waar we succes boeken gaan we door. Anders stoppen we. Maar dit moeten we wel zorgvuldig meten, met oog voor complexiteit, externe factoren en de lange termijn.

Mijn beleidsnotitie Een zaak van iedereen bepaalde mijn politieke prioriteiten. Ontwikkelingssamenwerking is politiek en scherpe keuzes zijn vereist. Mijn vijf moderniseringen heb ik u vanmiddag voorgelegd. Ze zijn essentieel. Niet alleen voor ontwikkelingssamenwerking, maar vooral voor een betere wereld.

Dank u wel."

aldus de Minister voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking Bert Koenders tijdens zijn OudeManHuisPoort- speech in de Universiteit van Amsterdam



 

The study is supported by Condomerie the world's first specialized condom shop, in Amsterdam. On its website www.condomerie.com/fitfeel, men from all over Europe are asked to complete a brief survey, anonymously and in their own language, about their condom use. For example whether the condom is nice, too small or too large, about condom failure or whether it comes off during or after sex. The results of the study can be used for improving condoms. "By participating in this study men can help develop the perfect fit and feel condom in the future," Theodoor van Boven of Condomerie states.

Researcher Professor Michael Reece of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion is an expert on his field of research. Earlier, he conducted a study among couples in America. In the US condoms in different sizes are common. In Europe that is hardly the case. "It's very hard to buy perfect fit and feel condoms here," Van Boven says.

According to him, this study can initiate new trends in condom development and manufacturing and at the same time help safe sex education. Men are inclined to use condoms more often if the complaints about condom failure are reduced.

Professor Reece is conducting his study in collaboration with a range of health-related organizations, in order to collect as much information from European men as possible regarding their use of condoms, sexual behaviors, and particularly their scores on - and this is completely new - Reece's Condom Fit and Feel Scale.

"The fit and feel issues that men report may be among those that contribute to their likelihood of using, or not using, condoms consistently and correctly. A better understanding of these factors will be beneficial to both condom manufacturers and sexual health professionals who share a common goal of increasing consistent and correct condom use and reducing the incidence of HIV and other STI," Reece says.

More information: www.condomerie.com


Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Condomerie

Editorial note journalists: www.condomerie.com/pr plus presskit

Note éditoriale: www.condomerie.com/pr plus presskit

Journalisten bitte zum  Leitartikel:  www.condomerie.com/pr plus Pressemappe

Nota editorial: www.condomerie.com/prmás kit de prensa

ISTANBUL - September 27, 2008  Men have been using condoms for centuries, but statistics show that for most men it’s not their preference or practice. Enter the female condom in the last decade and responsibility for protection now falls to women as well. The Turkish Daily News surveys manufacturers, health professionals and women’s magazine editors about the potential for use among Turkey’s large youth population

  In recent years the condom has been modified for use by women and while its global popularity is on the rise, four universities and health professionals in Turkey are raising the profile of the female condom among young people. There are many types of protection but condoms have yielded the best results as a shield against sexually transmitted diseases. Known by various names around the world, it is called Femidom in Europe and Turkey. The Femidom has been on the Turkish market since 2001. Its manufacturer in Turkey, Alfatim, has brought in 400,000 YTL in sales since 2001. The conciseness of sexual protection is the same all around world. It's not more or less in different countries said Tuğrul Ağralı, chief executive officer of Alfatim. You have to use protection even if you are monogamous. This is the trend around the world. You never know which disease you can get from whom, Ağralı said, adding that the country's large young population was the ratianale for entering the market. It is easier to teach something new to young people, he said. Dr. Alper Mumcu, obstetrician/gynecologist at VKV American Hospital, said the main function of either condom is the same: to address the spread of sexually transmitted diseases as a global problem. Even if Femidom is not commonly used yet in Turkey, it must be supported, Mumcu said. 

No interruption, more feeling -  Femidom offers two features regular condoms do not. First, it leaves the choice of protection to the woman. Second, it is not made of latex like men's condoms but rather polyurethane that doesn't cause allergy. Polyurethane makes the transfer of the blood's heat possible, thus increasing the sensation of contact.

 The product was designed to fit a woman's genital organs and can be used during her menstual period. Women can begin wearing the condom up to eight hours before sexual intercourse, which prevents interruptions before and during intercourse.

  According to Dr. Alper Mumcu, men are not the only ones who prefer to forgo the condom. Research shows that women also demonstrate unwillingness to use protection. Because of the benefits Femidom offers during sex such as being difficult for men to feel, it might become more popular, Mumcu said.

Is it difficult to use it? -  According to Mumcu even though Femidom has more advantages than a conventional condom, women have expressed discomfort about putting something in their vaginas. Ağralı confesses that using Femidom for the first time can be difficult. He added that once a woman takes the box and sees how to use it, she will find that it is actually easy to use. “Especially women who use tampons will find using Femidom easier, he said. Three Femidoms come in a box for 20 YTL. The market share of Femidom in the condom market is 2-3 percent. Ağralı said that they are satisfied with Turkish market. “Our main goal is to generate a social awareness campaign. This is satisfying for us, Ağralı said.

  As a potential consumer and the editor-in-chief of Women's Health magazine, Deran Özer said that she had heard of Femidom and had not considered using it. She doesn't think women would be comfortable with Femidom when they already struggle with tampons. If the woman is demanding protection and is decisive, the man has no choice but to use a condom, Özer said.   

Explaining it to men -  Seda Ercan, the former editor-in-chief of Elele magazine, had also heard of the female condom and hasn't used it. According to Ercan increasing sexual protection methods is important for reaching more women and making them choose the way that is most comfortable for them.

  Ercan says she believes using Femidom cannot be very difficult and that it is important for sexual health. If only it were more prevalent. I think it's more practical for women to use her own condom instead of suggesting that her partner use one, Ercan said. The only way to increase their popularity is to explain how they work to men as well, so a man can also demand that his partner use Femidom.  Ercan, Özer, Mumcu and Ağralı agree that in Turkey people must first learn to talk about sex comfortably, then a product like Femidom can be widely introduced and explained to the market.  According to a survey by Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine conducted every four years, the ratio awareness of Femidom among other forms of protection is 19 percent. Through a collaboration of Cerrahpaşa University Faculty of Medicine, Eskişehir Osman Gazi University, Erzurum Atatürk University, Ankara Gazi University and Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine. When the product is explained well, people want to buy it, Ağralı said, adding that increasing sales is not their primary goal. Informing people and creating awareness is the' primary goal.

In recent years the condom has been modified for use by women and while its global popularity is on the rise, four universities and health professionals in Turkey are raising the profile of the female condom among young people. There are many types of protection but condoms have yielded the best results as a shield against sexually transmitted diseases. Known by various names around the world, it is called Femidom in Europe and Turkey.
ISTANBUL - Turkısh Daily News -By Fulya Çimen

PUSH Journal 27-09-2008 - The Femidom has been on the Turkish market since 2001. Its manufacturer in Turkey, Alfatim, has brought in 400,000 YTL in sales since 2001.
"The conciseness of sexual protection is the same all around world. It's not more or less in different countries" said Tugrul Agrali, chief executive officer of Alfatim. "You have to use protection even if you are monogamous. This is the trend around the world. You never know which disease you can get from whom," Agrali said, adding that the country's large young population was the ratianale for entering the market. "It is easier to teach something new to young people," he said.

Dr. Alper Mumcu, obstetrician/gynecologist at VKV American Hospital, said the main function of either condom is the same: to address the spread of sexually transmitted diseases as a global problem. "Even if Femidom is not commonly used yet in Turkey, it must be supported," Mumcu said.

According to a survey by Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine conducted every four years, the ratio awareness of Femidom among other forms of protection is 19 percent. Through a collaboration of Cerrahpasa University Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir Osman Gazi University, Erzurum Ataturk University, Ankara Gazi University and Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine.
- PUSH Journal, 27 September 2008

Scotland- by Fiona Gray- 17-8-08  -

A VACCINE against cervical cancer will be given to schoolgirls without them receiving any safe sex advice as a result of a controversial deal struck between the Catholic Church and health officials, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.
From next month, 12 and 13-year-old girls at all schools in the country will start receiving the jab in a bid to cut deaths from cervical cancer caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), which can be passed on during sex.

The Catholic Church originally raised objections to the jab on the grounds it could encourage promiscuity, but has made a U-turn after reaching an agreement with health and education bosses.

The deal means girls getting the HPV jab will not receive any accompanying advice on the need to use condoms to protect themselves from other sexually transmitted diseases.

Health campaigners and parents' groups last night reacted angrily to the deal, warning that the sexual health of thousands of young Scottish women was being put at risk to avoid a moral backlash from the Catholic Church.

Many sexual health experts believe it is essential to give out safe sex advice alongside the jab to make it clear they will remain at risk from other STIs including HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea. More than half of the 5,000 female chlamydia patients in Scotland last year were under the age of 20.

The vaccine has been shown in trials to be highly effective in stopping cervical cancer caused by HPV if given to girls before they start sexual activity. Such cancers account for about 70% of cases of cervical cancer, which claims about 100 lives in Scotland every year.

When the decision to give the jab was announced by ministers in August 2006, a spokesman for Cardinal Keith O'Brien warned it could be seen by pre-teenage girls as a "green light" for sexual activity.

The programme is due to start next month and schools are set to send out consent forms for the scheme from the beginning of September.

The Catholic Church has now decided it will back the programme, with the jabs being available in its own schools. Spokesman Ronnie Convery revealed: "We have been in fruitful discussion with the health and education authorities, and we are satisfied that the programme to be rolled out across the country now is a responsible and ethically appropriate one."

Director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES) Michael McGrath added: "We wanted to make sure any support materials were appropriate in the Catholic schools, and we didn't want HPV and cervical cancer to be linked with artificial contraception. The factual information about the vaccine and cervical cancer are still there, but it doesn't promote particular kinds of sexual behaviour. We had discussions about it, we looked at various forms of words and came to an agreement. It took some months."

Scotland on Sunday has examined the leaflets going out to schoolgirls who receive the jab and there is no mention of using condoms to protect against other STIs.

A spokeswoman for the Family Planning Association (FPA) said it was a missed opportunity. Chief executive of the FPA Julie Bentley said: "The HPV vaccination will only protect young women from two strains of HPV leading to cervical cancer. It is critically important that young people understand the need to use condoms to protect them from other STIs."

Scotland Patients' Association chairwoman Margaret Watt said: "This message should be highlighted and underlined – please remember this injection doesn't protect you from sexually transmitted diseases or becoming pregnant."

Justine Roberts, co-founder of Mumsnet, said parents would be annoyed by the omission. She said: "The moral position is being imposed upon them. It seems a bit archaic to let the Catholic Church decide on this."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The HPV vaccine is about saving lives and protecting future generations of young girls from cervical cancer.

"Scottish Government officials consulted with many stakeholders and undertook research with parents and girls to ensure the right level of information was included in the leaflet. The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to promoting safer sex, and we are taking forward our sexual health strategy 'Respect and Responsibility'."

Published Date: 17 August 2008
By Fiona Gray

Bijna de helft van seksueel actieve jongeren tussen de 18 en 35 jaar heeft zich wel eens zorgen gemaakt of ze een soa hebben. Van deze bezorgde jongeren doet slechts de helft een soa-test.

Slechts helft van bezorgde jongeren doet een soa-test
Datum: 18 augustus 2008
Bron: Soa Aids Nederland

Bijna de helft van seksueel actieve jongeren tussen de 18 en 35 jaar heeft zich wel eens zorgen gemaakt of ze een soa hebben. Van deze bezorgde jongeren doet slechts de helft een soa-test. De belangrijkste redenen die ze aanvoeren om af te zien van een soa-test, zijn ‘ik heb geen lichamelijke klachten’ en ‘ik durf niet’. In haar nieuwe Vrij Veilig Campagne pakt Soa Aids Nederland deze redenen aan, die zijn gebaseerd op misverstanden. Het advies is om condoomgebruik vol te houden tot je zeker weet of je soa-vrij bent na een soa-test. Jongeren gaan relatief vaak kortdurende, opeenvolgende liefdesrelaties aan waarbij het merendeel na verloop van tijd het condoom achterwege laat zonder eerst een soa-test te doen. Hierdoor neemt het risico op verspreiding van soa’s toe.

Testen: wie, waar, waarom?
Van alle jongeren tussen de 18 en 35 jaar, zowel bezorgd als onbezorgd, heeft eenderde ooit een soa-test gedaan. Vrouwen laten zich vaker testen dan mannen. De belangrijkste redenen om wel een soa-test te doen, zijn ‘ik doe het voor de zekerheid’, ‘omdat ik onveilige seks heb gehad’, ‘ik begin aan een nieuwe relatie’ en ‘ik heb lichamelijke klachten’. Onder seksueel actieve 15- tot 17-jarige jongeren is een soa-test nog minder gangbaar. In deze leeftijdscategorie heeft 5% ooit een soa-test gedaan. Daar staat tegenover dat een kwart van de 15- tot 17-jarigen zich wel eens zorgen heeft gemaakt over een soa. Zo’n 50% van de jongeren gaat voor een soa-test naar de huisarts en ruim eenderde gaat naar een GGD of soa-poli. Het advies is om gedurende drie maanden condoomgebruik vol te houden. Na drie maanden kunnen beide partners zich namelijk op soa’s en hiv laten testen. Soa’s kunnen goed worden behandeld of de schade kan worden beperkt. Een hiv-infectie is dankzij aidsremmers te behandelen maar niet te genezen. Ben je beide soa-vrij, dan kun je stoppen met condooms.

Condooms
Bij one-night stands gebruikt meer dan driekwart van de 15- tot 35-jarige jongeren een condoom. Zodra er sprake is van een beginnende relatie of wanneer men vaker met dezelfde partner seks heeft, neemt het condoomgebruik snel af. Ruim vier op de tien jongeren is binnen drie maanden gestopt met condoomgebruik. Er is een groeiend vertrouwen in de ander waardoor de noodzaak verdwijnt zich tegen soa’s te beschermen. Dit is ten onrechte zoals blijkt uit het hoge aantal soa’s dat in Nederland onder jongeren wordt aangetroffen.

Wie anders dan het monster van Frankenstein?
In de tv-spots spelen het monster van Frankenstein, zijn liefje Sally en dr. Frankenstein de hoofdrollen. Acteur Ian Whyte, onder meer bekend als ‘the predator’ in de gelijknamige film, speelt het monster Frank. Ook het monster heeft wel eens seks. Hij staat letterlijk symbool voor het meenemen van soa’s uit vorige relaties. Want het monster is opgebouwd uit lichaamsdelen van verschillende mensen. Voor het geval hij dat zelf had vergeten, helpt zijn liefje Sally hem daar wel aan herinneren door uit te roepen: ‘But that could me anyone’s penis!’ In een andere spot is het de beurt aan het monster om Sally ermee te confronteren dat je van een soa geen lichamelijke klachten hoeft te hebben. In de derde spot rekent dr. Frankenstein af met de angst die er kan zijn voor een soa-test.

interview op  in Telegraaf met persvoorlichter Filippo Zimbile, programmaleider publiekscommunicatie van Soa Aids Nederland:

"Jongeren weten goed wat seksueel overdraagbare aandoeningen zijn. Ze denken niet dat ze het oplopen van vervuilde wc-brillen. De bezorgdheid over een mogelijke soa komt vaak als er onveilige seks is geweest",
"Maar het risico wordt verkeerd ingeschat. Dan kijken ze naar hun nieuwe partner en dan denken ze 'ach, die heeft ook geen rare dingen gedaan', maar ze vergeten verder te kijken naar bijvoorbeeld de ex-partners van de nieuwe partner."

Van alle jongeren boven de achttien heeft een derde ooit een soa-test gedaan. Vrouwen laten vaker een test doen dan mannen. "Voor mannen is de drempel nog hoog. Ze hebben een beeld van een pijnlijk inwendig onderzoek met een wattenstaafje in de plasbuis. Meestal is nu een urineonderzoek genoeg", aldus Zimbile. Bij jongeren van vijftien tot en met achttien is een soa-test minder gangbaar. In deze leeftijdscategorie heeft maar een op de twintig jongeren ooit een test gedaan. Daar staat tegenover dat een kwart van de jongeren zich wel eens zorgen heeft gemaakt.

"Jongeren kunnen bij de GGD of soa-poli's anoniem een test doen en hoeven niet bang te zijn dat het bekend wordt in hun omgeving. Ook het uitblijven van klachten wordt gegeven als reden om geen test te doen. Geen lichamelijke klachten wil niets zeggen: chlamydia wordt niet voor niets 'de sluiper' genoemd, je ziet er niets van." Bij onenightstands gebruikt meer dan driekwart van de jongeren van 15 tot 35 een condoom. Zodra er sprake is van een beginnende relatie of wanneer er vaker met dezelfde partner seks is, neemt het condoomgebruik snel af. Ruim vier op de tien jongeren zijn binnen drie maanden gestopt met condoomgebruik. Er is een groeiend vertrouwen in de ander, waardoor de noodzaak verdwijnt om zich tegen soa's te beschermen. Ten onrechte, blijkt uit het hoge aantal soa's onder jongeren. "Wij adviseren om gedurende de eerste drie maanden van een relatie condoomgebruik vol te houden. Na drie maanden kunnen beide partners zich op hiv en soa's laten testen. Ben je beiden soa-vrij, dan kun je stoppen met condooms." aldus Filippo Zimbile, programmaleider publiekscommunicatie van Soa Aids Nederland 

CANBERRA - An Australian woman has taken revenge on her cheating husband by putting a photograph of his lover's underpants up for sale on the auction site eBay.


In the listing the woman says she is selling a picture of a pair of lacy black knickers and an empty condom wrapper "size small" found in her bed after her husband had an affair with another woman.

The seller -- identified on eBay only as annastella007 -- provides a rather unflattering description of the knickers.

"They are so huge I thought they may make someone a nice shawl or, even better, something for Halloween perhaps."

CANBERRA - An Australian woman has taken revenge on her cheating husband by putting a photograph of his lover's underpants up for sale on the auction site eBay.


In the listing the woman says she is selling a picture of a pair of lacy black knickers and an empty condom wrapper "size small" found in her bed after her husband had an affair with another woman.

The seller -- identified on eBay only as annastella007 -- provides a rather unflattering description of the knickers.

"They are so huge I thought they may make someone a nice shawl or, even better, something for Halloween perhaps."

The eBay listing, entitled "Empty condom packet & a photo of 'The Tart's' knickers," also includes a detailed account of the events leading up to the discovery.

The woman says she returned from work after receiving a romantic text message from her husband of 22 years that was clearly misdirected to find him at home watching a DVD and discouraging her from entering their bedroom.

In the room she found the empty condom wrapper under his pillow and "the Tart's knickers ... at the foot of the bed."

The woman said this was not her last sale on eBay.

She says her husband's Harley motorcycle is "the next item that will probably be sold on eBay at a start price of 99c and, of course, with no reserve!"

Inessa Jackson, a spokeswoman for eBay said that the listing almost did not make the site because it originally included the actual panties for sale and had to be taken down due to eBay's policy against selling secondhand underwear.

"We let her know about the policy and instead she's now selling a photograph of the offending knickers," Jackson was quoted on the news Web site www.couriermail.com.au as saying.

"This is obviously very therapeutic for this woman and it must be a great channel for her views on cheating and the sanctity of marriage."

By Helen A.S. Popkin
MSNBC
updated 9:09 a.m. ET Aug. 14, 2008
   

Helen A.S. Popkin
So, eBay continues to evolve as the World’s Largest Group Therapy Meeting. Latest case in point: Some Australian lady is auctioning off her emotional baggage in the form of some other lady’s underpants …or at least a photograph of said underpants, as eBay does not allow the sale of used undergarments. And much like those adorable paring knives that bonus with your Ginsu, the winning bidder also receives a used, empty condom package, "size small."

See, yet-to-be identified (but soon-to-be immortalized) seller had her a man, and he done her wrong. In the auction post, "annastella007" tells the tale of, "a women who, after 22 years of marriage, found evidence that the soon-to-be ex-husband had had " 'The Tart' in their marital bed this very afternoon." The evidence of which the seller speaks are the black lace panties and the condom wrapper she’s auctioning now.

It’s a plot line best better suited to a "Law & Order" opening scene or a presidential campaign, but such sordid affairs are now de rigueur at the world’s largest garage sale. You don’t need to Google very far to figure out that angst auctions earn far more news coverage than actual cash. Still, it’s cheaper than paying a shrink (or hiring a hit man). And can you actually put a price on good old-timey spite? I foresee a day — brought on by the sinking economy, increased unemployment and universally lousy mental health coverage — when everyone turns to the auction site to work out their mean reds.

S
That one-eyed teddy bear that embodies your dad’s anger? Sell it! Remember that barrette you wore for three months after you cut your bangs when your boyfriend dumped you? Sell it! Angry with God? Grab that that grilled-cheese sandwich with the burnt image of Jesus in the bread and see how much you can get for that, too!

Apparently the good folks at eBay are all for you unloading your psychological drama via their venue. They have no problem with this grassroots redirection of the company’s original business model. (That’d be a platform for selling material goods, not emotional catharsis.)

"This is obviously very therapeutic for this woman and it must be a great channel for her views on cheating and the sanctity of marriage," said eBay spokes person Inessa Jackson in a quote from Australian news site Courier Mail.


 
Is eBay destined to become an international platform for everyone's personal psychodramas?
Why shouldn’t eBay be all for it? It’s the only entity making serious money off these auctions of pain. Well, eBay and online casino GoldenPalace.com. eBay makes out in oodles of free advertising via all those wacky auction news stories. GoldenPalace.com makes out in oodles of free advertising via the notoriety it’s received buying wacky items on eBay — including $15,000 to a woman who agreed to tattoo the GoldenPalace.com on her forehead, and $28,000 for a toasted cheese sandwich graced by the image of the Virgin Mary.

(Disclaimer: Yes, I am aware that free publicity via wacky auction news coverage includes mine.)


According to the seller, the offending panties "are so huge I thought they may make someone a nice shawl or, even better, something for Halloween perhaps."
If the actual sellers are looking to cash in, history shows they should take their pity party for pay elsewhere. Even well-publicized angst auctions aren’t proving to be big money-makers for the sellers. Earlier this summer, heartbroken hubby Ian Usher eBay’d his life in Australia — house and contents, a three-week shot at his job, and introduction to his friends. The auction closed at a measly $382,712 — far short of the minimum $480,000 Usher hoped to receive.

Frankly if "annastella007" is looking to get into the used panties game, she’s about a decade too late. Back in eBay’s early days, many a seller made a mint hocking unclean underpants as well as socks (stinky Gold-Toed executives did especially well) to bidders of highly specialized desires. Then came the crackdown on any underthings auctions of an obviously salacious nature. Now it’s all about thinly veiled codes.

"This item has been cleaned per eBay specifications," is the fetishist’s secret signal, generally followed by "send private e-mail for special requests ;)." Even then, eBay’s gotten pretty good at ferreting out such sales, and quickly axing them from the site, as "annastella007" quickly learned, according to her auction adendum: "IT SEEMS I HAD VIOLATED EBAY'S SECONDHAND CLOTHES POLICY BY OFFERING 'THE TART'S' (HER NAME'S KYLIE i HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT) ACTUAL KNICKERS UP FOR AUCTION PREVIOUSLY I CAN ONLY NOW OFFER A PHOTO OF THE SAID KNICKERS AND HAVE ADJUSTED THE STARTING PRICE ACCORDINGLY."

As of this writing, bidding is up to $125, a lot more than the 99 cents "annastella007" stated she thought was a bit steep. This scorned woman isn't looking for a way to make money. She's using it as a broadcast medium to spite her husband.  It'll be interesting to see if anyone else perverts her purpose by fetishizing her pain. If someone actually ponies up after winning her picture of some other woman's underwear, and it’s not GoldenPalace.com, it’s got to be for his or her own titillation, no matter what the winner claims.

GLOBAL: The female condom - the step-child in HIV prevention 

Gladys Chiwome says women who have used the female condom are more confident and sexually fulfilled

MEXICO CITY, 7 August 2008 (PlusNews) - The female condom – currently the only female-controlled method of preventing HIV - is rarely available to women who need it. Blaming poor marketing and insufficient investment, activists at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City said failure to promote the female condom had hurt global HIV prevention efforts.

"When the female condom first came to us, it was marketed to sex workers, women in bars, and other women thought to be at high risk of HIV or to have loose morals," said Gladys Chiwome, of Zimbabwe's Women and AIDS Support Network, which promotes the use of the female condom in the southern African nation. "As a result, women who thought they were safe, such as married women, were, and still are, reluctant to use it."

Farah Karimi, director of Oxfam-Novib, the Dutch arm of the UK-based international charity, told a press conference that 28 million female condoms were distributed worldwide in 2007, compared with 11 billion male condoms. The unit cost of a female condom, she added, was 18 times higher than that of the male condom.

"Even here at the conference, the bag supplied by the conference organisers to all delegates contained five male condoms but only one female condom," she said.

While policy makers and donors continued to believe that lack of investment in the female condom was driven by low demand, Karimi said the reverse was true: if more governments bought more female condoms, promoted more female condom programmes, and invested more in the development of a lower-cost version of the prophylactic, demand would shoot up.

"The male condom was promoted so hard in advertising, through school education and advocacy – we need the same effort for the female condom," she said.

The male condom was promoted so hard in advertising, through school education and advocacy - we need the same effort for the female condom
According to Chiwome, lack of access to female condoms meant that women were sometimes advised to wash and re-use them, a practice that had worrying implications for health and hygiene, particularly in rural areas where clean water was not readily available.

The few women in Zimbabwe who had managed to get their hands on female condoms had expressed satisfaction with it. "They have felt more confident, assertive and fulfilled in their sexuality," Chiwome said.

In a society where gender power dynamics often give women little say in their sexual relationships, Chiwome pointed out the need to equip women, not only with female condoms, but with the skills to negotiate their use.

"Girls and women need the skills to say, 'if you're not going to use yours then I'm going to use mine' to their sexual partners," agreed Mary Robinson, former President of the Republic of Ireland and honorary president of Oxfam International.

Describing the provision of an affordable and easily accessible female condom to women as a human rights issue, Robinson said: "It is about the right for women to have access to protection and their right to make choices for themselves. Schools should be teaching boys and girls about the female condom but, sadly, most of them are not."

Karimi said, "Investment in prevention for women is focused on vaccines and microbicides, which are not available now and may not be available for several years. Women cannot wait for them – they need protection now."

kr/ks/he

Malawi - BLANTYRE - Malawian women have little say when it comes to condom use, but the government hopes that the recent launch of the female condom in the country could go some way in solving this age-old dilemma.

Sandra Mapemba, national condom programme coordinator at the Reproductive Health Unit (RHU) in the Ministry of Health, believes the female condom will empower women to have more control in their sexual relationships, help them protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, as well as unwanted pregnancies.

The female condom was first piloted in Malawi in 2000, with funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), but failed to catch on.

"What led to this was lack of proper information on the condom. The product was just dumped in clinics and most service providers lacked basic knowledge," said Mapemba. "This resulted in people getting wrong information about the product, hence the low acceptance."

The pilot was repeated four years later in 22 areas across the country and subsequent studies found that it had gained greater acceptability.

Source: IRIN PlusNews

Lack of access to female condoms vilified

 Canada-  8/2008- It has been 15 years since the female condom was unveiled, but the anniversary is an inauspicious one. Once touted as a key tool in the fight against HIV-AIDS, a way of empowering women whose partners shun traditional condoms, the female condom has largely been forgotten.

The fault lies not with the product itself but with set-in-their-ways policy makers, the international aid group Oxfam says in a scathing new report.

"This is a 15-year scandal born of ignorance and inertia," said Mary Robinson, Oxfam's honorary president. "We now know that millions of women might have been spared HIV, unwanted pregnancies, and empowered themselves in the process, if they had access to this simple method."

Ms. Robinson, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said female condoms should be an integral part of HIV-AIDS and family-planning programs, and promoted as aggressively as male con-doms.

A female condom is a lubricated polyurethane sheath inserted into the vagina prior to intercourse.

The main barrier to its use is cost, said Carlos Zarco, director of the Mexican AIDS group Rostros y Voces.

"The female condom is 18 times more expensive than a male condom. It's obvious why women are not us-ing it more," he said.

Male condoms cost pennies and, in much of the world they are distributed widely and for free as part of HIV-AIDS prevention programs.

According to the 33-page Oxfam report, titled Failing Women, Withholding Protection, studies have repeat-edly shown that female condoms are widely accepted and many women actually prefer them to male con-doms.

There are about three billion male condoms sold worldwide each year, compared with 26 million female condoms, a ratio of 423:1.

The charitable group PATH has spent about $6-million developing a female condom that has a tampon-like capsule for easy insertion of a polyurethane pouch that is kept in place by dots of foam.

According to the Oxfam report, an additional $20-million investment would result in the two newer models being brought to market quickly and the competition would sharply lower prices.


Date: Friday, August 08, 2008
Source: The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Author: Andrew Picard

"Female Condoms are the PowerTools for Women and Girls [ says Condomerie 12-8-08 ] "

Female condoms put HIV prevention in women's hands.
DATELINE: Mexico City -by- Sumita Thapar - 5-8-2008

The female condom is currently the only woman- controlled preventive method against HIV infection. Yet, it is a poorly funded invention and has been ignored by policy makers, making far too expensive and largely unavailable.

"This is a 15-year scandal born of ignorance and inertia. It has been made doubly worse as the HIV epidemic is now affecting women at a higher rate than men, especially in sub-Saharan Africa," said Farah Karimi, spokesperson of Oxfam, Britain's leading aid charity.

"We now know that millions of women might have been spared HIV, unwanted pregnancies, and empowered themselves in the process, if they had access to this simple method."

A new report by Oxfam and the World Population Foundation, "Failing Women, Witholding Protection," launched at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, said that countries have wasted countless lives by willfully ignoring the best available invention to help protect women from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

"Every day 7,000 young women become HIV positive. We need to do more to support them to protect their health," said Purnima Mane, deputy executive director of the United Nations Population Fund.

Women account for nearly half of HIV infections worldwide. In sub- Saharan Africa, 75 per cent of those infected are women.

The female condom looks large and unwieldy, but women seem to like it. About 16 centimetres long, it is a polyurethane sheath that covers the vagina, cervix and external genitalia and can be inserted just before intercourse. The only version approved by the US Food and Drug Administration is manufactured by the Female Health Company in London.

Researchers say one of the main problems in making the product widely available to women is its hefty pricetag.

Beyond availability, much training and practice are required before women figure out how to use it. Those who do, say that its advantage over male condoms is that it does not interrupt intercourse and can be inserted well in advance.

In the last 10 years, only 6 million dollars has been spent on developing a new condom for women. In contrast, in 2006 alone, international donors spent more than 1 billion dollars trying to develop new HIV-prevention technologies, Oxfam said.

With little investment and innovation, the price of female condoms has remained unaffordable as compared to male condoms - often 18 times more.

Oxfam said that an investment of 20 million dollars would allow new female condoms to be brought into world markets, increase competition and decrease prices.

In India, the female condom was introduced in 2007 by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) and rapidly gained acceptability. In one year, the pilot programme tripled its demand for the condoms - from 500,000 to 1.5 million - while halving the price from 45 rupees (1 dollar) to 23 rupees.

NACO currently socially markets the female condom at 5 rupees (10 cents). India now has "Female Condom Champions," who are trained by non-governmental organizations to sell the idea of female-controlled protection and show women how to use it.

Many Indian women say the female condom has been a boon.

In AIDS-hit Guntur district in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, women claim they can use the female condoms with husbands reluctant to put on the male version, as the former doesn't impact sexual pleasure for either partner.

For all its benefits, governments have been sluggish about supporting female condoms, with the exception of Zimbabwe, where it was introduced in 1997, said Serra Sippel, executive director of US non-profit Centre for Health and Gender Equity.

"In most countries, the female condom is introduced as a pilot for one or two years and withdrawn when funding comes to an end. Investment is critical, as is the 'buy-in' of the national government. They must want to give the product to women," Sippel said.

In the United States, some government-run centres in New York offer education on and access to the female condom. "But in Washington you have to go to a sex shop to buy one. In many cases, pharmacists are not even aware of it," Sippel said.

Lynde Francis of the International Community of Women living with HIV/AIDS, who has been HIV-positive since 1986, said: "In Zimbabwe, were I work, sexual violence is extremely high. A minister told me the product was not good, 'As women in sex work could infect men if they did not change the female condom for different sexual encounters.'"

"When I asked him the difference between 10 men sharing a vagina and 10 men sharing a vagina with a female condom, he said there was none. I said him the difference is that the woman is protected."

Researchers say there are further, unquantifiable benefits of female condoms as a powerful tool to help women assert their sexual rights.

In Kenya, users say it has enabled the building of better communication between partners about safe sex. In India, women say it helped reduce domestic violence brought on by requests to husbands to use condoms. Women in sex work the world over claim they can now negotiate their own safety.

Date: Thursday, August 07, 2008
Source: News Nerve of India
Author: Sumita Thapar

Date: Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Source: Calgary Sun (Alberta)

Interview with Nazneen Damji of UNIFEM

Q&A: Condoms have to be used to be useful


MEXICO CITY - 5-8-2008 Of the over 30 million people living with HIV, half are women and the rate of infections in women is rising, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. What’s more, women’s rights groups say gender inequalities are fuelling the epidemic -- there is an irrefutable feminisation of HIV.

On the sidelines of the XVII International AIDS Conference being held here, Nazneen Damji, programme specialist on gender equality and HIV/AIDS at the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), explained the hard facts behind the stark AIDS statistics to IPS correspondent Zofeen Ebrahim.

More women are becoming infected, Ebrahim explained, many are also carrying the double burden of caring for the sick and dying. Widows are being thrown out of their homes, deprived of inheritance. Young women -- the most vulnerable to infection -- are least able to protect themselves, if they do not have access to information, services and a voice.

Women, especially those impacted by the epidemic can no longer be left out of policy formulation, implementation and allocation of funds, according to Ebrahim, and unless global and national polices are gender-sensitive the spread of HIV and AIDS is unlikely to abate.

Excerpts from the interview:

IPS: Do you get a sense that at this AIDS forum, women and gender issues are being elbowed out by talks of MSM (men having sex with men) and homophobia?

Nazneen Damji: I can sense that issues around women and their rights are not really going to surface. I do get a feeling that there will be less talk on these important issues, but the conference has just started, let’s wait and see. Given the Latin American context, issues pertaining to MSM and homophobia cannot be ignored either.

It is important to note though that data indicates that ninety percent of the HIV-positive women in Mexico got infected not because of injecting drug use or blood transfusions but through heterosexual transmission. As in any other region, women here need to be as protected from getting infected through access to information, to testing and counselling, and to other health care services. They also need to be empowered to negotiate for condom use. Condoms have to be used to be useful.

It is important to ensure the response is tailored to the different contexts in different regions. This time around, stigma, discrimination and homophobia are being brought out in sharper focus. And this is important, as governments need to acknowledge and take action. These are important issues that are being raised… the response to HIV and AIDS needs to be comprehensive, taking into account the realities of all groups that are affected. We should not be forced to choose sides. What is even more important is bridging the gap in between these issues.

IPS: While women’s groups refuse to lie low or let gender issues be ignored, have they been successful in converting governments? Are the latter doing enough?

ND: They may not be doing enough, but they are doing well and we do have examples where countries are actively ensuring gender equality dimensions are integrated into policies and plans.

Take the case of Nigeria. Their National Action Plan for HIV/AIDS is very gender-sensitive. They have even set up a Gender Technical Committee that supports the plan. It is critical that these strategies are implemented, through fully-costed plans that resource the needs of the women. Here, gender- responsive budgeting tools offer great potential for application in the context of HIV and AIDS programming.

UNIFEM has been contributing to building interest and capacity globally in over 30 countries on gender-responsive budgeting.

India too has integrated gender strategies in their National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). In fact, they are working towards ensuring gender and HIV/AIDS are crosscutting themes across various sectors. UNIFEM and other UN partners have been working to support these efforts.

IPS: Are governments sincere in their endeavour?

ND: Yes, I’m sure they are sincere. However, there also has to be the capacity to implement, and that means the public sector needs to be well trained. And, monitoring of progress needs to be emphasised.

IPS: There is a lot of talk about male circumcision at this conference, is there any co-relation between that and gender?

ND: I think all issues need to be looked at through a gender lens. It is good that new evidence points towards reduced risks of HIV and AIDS for circumcised men, but let’s not have a one-sided approach. A comprehensive approach to prevention -- that includes male circumcision and prevention efforts to reach all women -- will help to reduce infections in women and men alike.

IPS: What is the relationship between violence against women and girls and HIV/AIDS?

ND: Violence is an added dimension of HIV and AIDS. The good news is that, since the International AIDS Conference in Toronto, the way in which violence against women and the fear of such violence fuels the HIV/AIDS epidemic is increasingly recognised and addressed. But what remains to be seen is how to respond to and bring these intersections together.

Violence is both a cause and consequence of HIV and AIDS. But violence is an obstacle to prevention efforts. It prevents women from getting tested and limits their access to prevention and treatment. It also prevents them from making informed decisions about their health and their future. In many cases, victims of violence are afraid or unable to negotiate condom use.

IPS: Are gender policies well integrated in national HIV/AIDS programmes?

ND: We are seeing promising results. For example, services for women are becoming integrated into the response to the twin pandemics. In many countries, health centres have been established that treat survivors of violence, and include services such as HIV counselling and testing as well as legal referrals.

Although still limited in number, they can become an important source of HIV education and treatment. Capacity is being developed, and partnerships among women’s groups, HIV/AIDS organisations, survivors of violence, women living with HIV and AIDS, and other stakeholders are increasing.

IPS: What has been the role of UNIFEM in combating violence against women in connection to HIV/AIDS?

Fighting gender-based violence is a major concern for UNIFEM. It multiplies the power of its groundbreaking strategies through advocacy campaigns and close partnerships with governments, women’s groups and other branches of the U.N. system.

The U.N. Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women -- managed by UNIFEM -- is supporting a knowledge cohort of grantees from across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean for the first-ever global learning initiative on addressing the linkages between violence against women and HIV and AIDS.


Date: Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Source: IPS- Inter Press News
Author: Interview with Nazneen Damji of UNIFEM

Date: Monday, August 11, 2008
Source: The Chicago Tribune
Author: Katha Pollitt, columnist for The Nation magazine

How rubber-growing Thailand became the No. 1 exporter of prophylactic devices in the world.


- All day and all night at the factory that makes Durex condoms in an industrial suburb of Bangkok, young Thai women grab handfuls of pink-ribbed condoms, stretch them one at a time between their fingers, and slide them over phallus-shaped mandrels with a speedy dexterity that any mama-san in the red-light districts 30 miles away would have to admire.

The sheathed shafts rotate into an electronic tester that zaps them with 1,800 volts of electricity. If there's a defect through which a single volt can pass, the machine blinks red, and the condom falls into a reject box. The good ones - more than 97% - are rolled, inserted into wrappers, squirted with lubricant, then sealed and tested again to make sure the packet is secure.


Making condoms is such a sensitive operation that a single speck of dust can cause an imperfection. So workers in separate testing rooms also sample each batch for consistency and strength, inflating the condoms until they explode with party-like pops and stretching them until they snap.

"We can't use men to do this work," explains Surakait Kasemsuwan, production manager at the factory, which is owned by Britain's SSL International (Charts), makers of the Durex brand. "We tried men, but they get bored and tired, and they injure themselves. Those mandrels don't stop. This is a 24/7 process."

About 8,000 condoms a day pass through the hands of these women - and about three billion a year through factories across Thailand. More than three-quarters of those condoms are exported, with the biggest share, about 12%, going to the U.S., followed by Japan and 67 other countries.

They include not only Durex condoms but also such brands as LifeStyles (owned by Ansell Healthcare of Australia) and Kimono (owned by Mayer Labs of California).

Top rubber producer
Thailand has been the world's top rubber producer for some time, but it is only in the past two years that it has also become the world's leading exporter of condoms, pulling ahead of the Netherlands, Spain, Britain, and India. Exports grew 16% by volume last year and 23% in dollar value, to $46 million, according to the Kasikorn Research Center in Bangkok. They are expected to grow another 20% this year, to more than $55 million.

The impetus for the expansion came in 2001, when Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra proposed that his country take its huge rubber surplus and make condoms a high priority in global HIV/AIDS prevention as well as in its own export-driven manufacturing growth.

In part the push was linked to competition with Malaysia, which for most of the 20th century had been the world's top rubber producer. But rising wages and expensive land made tapping rubber trees there costly, says Prachaya Jumpasut, head of economics and statistics research at the International Rubber Study Group in London.

Malaysia shifted to more profitable palm-oil production and lost its lead in rubber, first to Indonesia, then to Thailand, in the 1990s. Since then Thailand has been picking up the slack in global supply, encouraging new planting in the country's north, and producing more than a third of the world's rubber, far exceeding all other grower countries. Thailand has also been satisfying increased demand from China's auto industry, particularly for tires.

Thailand learned a lesson by watching Malaysia. The rubber that Malaysia has continued to export over the past decade is nearly 90% in the form of processed finished products, such as medical and gardening gloves and a smaller amount of condoms ($26 million in 2004).

Protection from commodity price fluctuation
Thailand's production was the opposite, says Panyapat Taravanit, a senior researcher at the Kasikorn Research Center: Just 10% of its exported rubber was processed; the rest was raw.

By encouraging condom and tire production, Thailand could take advantage of its cheap labor and reap the added value of processing finished products at home, thereby diminishing the impact of a fall in world rubber prices.

Another factor in the growth of Thailand's condom industry has been domestic demand. To combat the country's AIDS epidemic, the government started distributing millions of free condoms in 1991 to encourage safe sex and reduce HIV transmission.

By 1996, according to a United Nations study, 97% of Thailand's commercial sex workers reported that they always used condoms, compared with 14% in 1989. Thailand's campaign dramatically reduced HIV rates and became a much-lauded model for the world. A study by the nonprofit Population Services International found that as the number of free government condoms increased, commercial demand also increased, prompting the opening of at least three condom factories. The government cut back on free distribution as the domestic condom market grew from virtually nothing in the early 1990s to $16 million last year.

Thailand still imports about $1 million worth of condoms a year - mostly varieties with exotic flavors and ultrathin, high-sensitivity brands made under even more delicate conditions in the U.S. and Japan. But condom imports fell 25% last year as domestic producers picked up on such consumer preferences and started making them for the domestic market.

Durex, which expanded its operations in Thailand from six to 15 manufacturing lines in 2001, encouraged by government incentives, has managed to capture more than 70% of the country's domestic market.

SSL now makes one-third of its Durex products, or about 300 million condoms annually, in Thailand, with the remainder produced in Britain, Spain, India, and China. "Thailand is still one of the most cost-effective manufacturing locations for condoms," says Tim Evans, SSL's Southeast Asia regional director.

Adds David Mayer, founder and president of Mayer Labs, which makes one of its Kimono lines in Thailand: "Japan used to be leagues ahead, but others like Thailand are catching up."

Thailand aims to nearly halve the HIV infection rate within three years, from the 15,000 new cases reported last year to 7,500. That means more public promotion of condoms for safe sex nationwide and a continued rise in domestic demand.

With another four million new infections reported worldwide last year and HIV infection rates increasing in places such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, and sub-Saharan Africa, which have little or no condom manufacturing of their own, it's clear that Thailand's condom export market has a bright - if bittersweet - future.

By Sheridan Prasso, Fortune Magazine 

01-08-2008 | Persbericht | Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken

Minister Bert Koenders (Ontwikkelingssamenwerking) neemt komende week deel aan de internationale aidsconferentie “Universal Action Now!” in Mexico. Nederland is een belangrijke speler op het terrein van aidsbestrijding. Koenders: “Mede door effectief internationaal beleid zien we nu de toename van HIV-geinfecteerden in een aantal Afrikaanse landen afnemen, maar we zijn er nog lang niet. De situatie is voor miljoenen mensen nog altijd schrijnend. Nederland richt zich vooral op het voorkómen van aids, op seksuele en reproduktieve gezondheid en rechten van vrouwen, en op de meest kwetsbare groepen als kinderen, drugsgebruikers, en homoseksuele mannen.”

Nederland staat voor een brede aanpak van de aidsbestrijding waarbij zoveel mogelijk deskundigen betrokken zijn, zoals onderzoekers, maatschappelijke organisaties, de homobeweging en de overheid zelf. Naast minister Koenders is ook aidsambassadeur Paul Bekkers namens Nederland komende week actief betrokken bij diverse activiteiten op de aidsconferentie. “Nederland zit in de voorhoede van de aidsbestrijding en minister Koenders is steeds bereid om gevoelige punten bespreekbaar te maken. Daarnaast beschikt ons land over veel kennis en deskundigheid, zoals op het gebied van biomedisch onderzoek en behandeling van HIV“, aldus Bekkers.

Koenders opent op maandag de Nederlandse stand en is voorzitter van een sessie over drugsbeleid. Op dinsdag is de minister onder andere hoofdspreker bij de discussie over de financiering van de gezondheidszorg en HIV/aids in ontwikkelingslanden. Ook benut hij de gelegenheid om een aantal belangrijke spelers in de aidsbestrijding te spreken, zoals de hoofden van UNAIDS, UNFPA, collega-ministers en mogelijk Ban-ki Moon en Bill Clinton.

Voor vragen of interview verzoeken met minister Koenders en aidsambassadeur Paul Bekkers kunt u contact opnemen met Kees-Jaap Ouwerkerk, voorlichter Bui tenlandse Zaken.

Studente stierf na ruzie over condoom
Fiesta du Rock in Flémalle (bij Luik) -Belgie  - 25-6-08    Het meisje van 19 dat zondagochtend dood en halfnaakt werd teruggevonden onderaan een rotswand in Flémalle stierf na een ruzie over een condoom. Dat heeft haar liefje-van-één-nacht gisteren toegegeven tijdens de reconstructie.

Over de doodsoorzaak van Fanny Gérard uit Thuin zijn de onderzoekers het eens: ze stortte 60 meter diep en liep daarbij een fatale schedelbreuk op. Maar was haar val een ongeluk? Of werd ze geduwd? De reconstructie moest daar duidelijkheid over scheppen.

Fanny Gérard trok vrijdag met haar zus Daisy naar het muziekfestival Fiesta du Rock in Flémalle (bij Luik). Onderweg op de trein leerden de zussen Arnaud Dubray (20) kennen. Volgens getuigen zag hij Fanny vrijdagavond als laatste. Maandag werd hij opgepakt. Intussen legde hij al tegenstrijdige verklaringen af. Aanvankelijk vertelde hij dat hij niets had met Fanny. Pas nadat hij geconfronteerd was met verklaringen van getuigen die hem hadden zien flirten met de studente, gaf hij dit toe.

Volgens Arnaud Dubray hadden ze allebei goed gedronken toen ze vrijdag samen een wandeling maakten in het nabijgelegen bos. Volgens Dubray waren ze daar met een doel: seks. Hij preciseerde dat ze zich allebei al grotendeels hadden uitgekleed toen het plots tot een ruzie kwam. Zij wilde niet zonder condoom vrijen en hij had er geen bij. Dus drong hij aan. Volgens de verklaringen van Dubray vluchtte Fanny daarop in de duisternis. Hij zegt dat hij haar nog probeerde tegen te houden. Maar op dat moment viel ze van de 60 meter hoge klif.

Daarna verborg Arnaud haar kleren, portefeuille en gsm. Veel verder dan 'Ik was in paniek', kwam Arnaud gisteren niet tijdens de reconstructie. Hij zei ook opnieuw dat hij zich niet veel kon herinneren omdat hij vrijdag veel te veel had gedronken: 'Minstens tien pinten en een halve liter pastis.' De ouders van Fanny Gérard zijn ontroostbaar. Ze zitten naar eigen zeggen met veel vragen. 'Waarom heeft hij haar kledij 30 meter verder verborgen? En als hij zo dronken was als hij beweert: hoe kon hij dan de weg terugvinden naar de camping?'

Arnaud Dubray zit opgesloten in de gevangenis van Lantin. Eerstdaags zal hij opnieuw worden verhoord. Fanny Gérard wordt vrijdag gecremeerd. Die dag zou ze twintig worden. (bjm)

By Gary Duffy BBC News, Sao Paulo / Edmilson Ferreira  Agência de Notícias do Acre

Brazil makes 'rainforest' condoms  8-4-2008 

Producing local condoms will help preserve the world's largest rainforest
The Brazilian government has begun producing condoms using rubber from trees in the Amazon.
The health ministry says the move will help preserve the largest rainforest in the world.
It will also cut dependence on imported contraceptives, which are given away to fight Aids.
The Brazilian government has one of the biggest programmes in the world to distribute free condoms in the fight against the disease.
The new state-run factory is in the north-western state of Acre, and will initially produce 100 million condoms a year, which will be known by the name Natex.
Officials believe that not only will it generate income for Amazon residents, but it will involve using a product which is widely available and can be obtained without destroying large areas of the rainforest.
The latex will come from the Chico Mendes reserve, an area named after the famous conservationist and rubber tapper who was shot dead in 1988 by local ranchers.
The factory will benefit at least 500 families and provide 150 jobs in the town of Xapuri which has a population of around 15,000 people.
The health ministry says the condoms will be the only ones in the world made of latex harvested from a tropical forest, and will reduce the reliance on foreign imports.
The Brazilian government says it is the world's largest single buyer of condoms, purchasing more than a billion of the contraceptives in recent years to give away free as part of the country's national programme to combat Aids.
The policy, which is at its most visible during the Carnival period, has often been criticised by Catholic bishops who say it only encourages promiscuity.

Inaugurada fábrica de preservativos em Xapuri
07/04/2008 - 21:48
Dos "empates" até a construção da Natex, o estado do Acre mostra como a economia florestal se fortalece com a aplicação do neo-extrativismo: indústria com mão de obra qualificada e a floresta como referência de desenvolvimento

O Governo do Acre inaugurou nesta segunda-feira, em Xapuri, a Natex, a primeira fábrica do mundo a utilizar látex de seringal nativo para produção de preservativos sexuais masculinos. Seringueiros, trabalhadores rurais, lideranças políticas de várias cidades do Vale do Acre, deputados, prefeitos, vereadores compareceram para prestigiar a cerimônia, que sela um novo tempo para o extrativismo na Amazônia.

O governador Binho Marques, os senadores Tião Viana e Siba Machado, a ministra do Meio Ambiente, Marina Silva, e o secretário nacional de Vigilância em Saúde, Gerson Penna, descerraram a fita como ato simbólico do resultado de uma luta iniciada na segunda metade da década de 1970 com os "empates" organizados pelos trabalhadores em defesa do trabalho e da floresta. Naquele tempo já havia quem dizia que Chico Mendes, o líder ecologista que fez o mundo ver a Amazônia com outros olhos, era um homem de vanguarda, que enxergava muito adiante de sua época. O advento do empates confirmava isso. O primeiro deles foi realizado no Seringal Carmen, em Brasiléia, para proteger modo de vida dos trabalhadores rurais.  Os Empates aconteciam quando os seringueiros, as suas famílias, a comunidade inteira protestavam contra a derrubada da floresta formando um cinturão de gente à frente das motosserras.

A luta dos seringueiros, que culminou com o covarde assassinato de Chico Mendes, estabeleceu paradigmas para o relacionamento do Homem com o meio ambiente, até que em maio de 2003, um dos grandes amigos do Acre, o Presidente Luis Inácio Lula da Silva assina protocolo de intenções com o Governo do Estado para a Implantação da Fábrica de Preservativos Masculinos em Xapuri. Iniciava ali um novo tempo para as comunidades da região.

O fortalecimento dos órgãos dedicados à pesquisa, como a Fundação de Tecnologia do Acre (Funtac) ampliou os estudos de viabilidade técnica e econômica que, iniciados em 2000, contaram com a participação do Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia, através do Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia, e o Ministério da Saúde. Entre 2002 e 2003 a produção de camisinhas com látex natural, que até então apenas um sonho que vez por outra emperrava na burocracia que não conseguia medir o alcance do empreendimento.

A teimosia de pessoas como o secretário de Planejamento, Gilberto Siqueira e o ex-governador Jorge Viana conseguiram fazer a idéia vencer barreiras e consolidar-se como projeto de desenvolvimento econômico e sustentável. "Xapuri inaugura uma nova fase de prosperidade, onde a gente pode unir o conhecimento tradicional com o que há de mais moderno no mundo", disse Viana durante a inauguração da unidade que impôs uma série de ações integradas, como melhoria de ramais, reabertura de varadouros, repovoamento de colocações, construção de novas casas para os seringueiros envolvidos e muito mais. Viana avalia tudo isso como resultado prático do pensamento de Chico Mendes: "o Chico nunca deixou de aprender com os mais velhos. Ele sempre levantou os olhos para ver no mundo o que se tinha para gerar mais dignidade para os trabalhadores", afirmou o ex-governador que assinou com Lula a ordem de serviço para início da construção da Natex.

O empreendimento tem fornecedores em 700 colocações geo-referenciadas e com banco de dados socioeconômicos: sabe-se exatamente quem são, onde estão e como vivem os extrativistas que fornecem látex para a fábrica. Sua área de cobertura chega a um milhão de hectares.

A produção de camisinhas, que os testes comprovaram ser de melhor qualidade que a fabricada com látex de cultivo, será toda vendida ao Ministério da Saúde. Serão 100 milhões de unidades de preservativos ao ano, destinados aos programas nacionais de combate às DST/Aids.

Os seringueiros envolvidos no negócio foram treinados e estão aptos à atividade que requer cuidados na coleta, armazenamento e transporte do látex. A área construída da fábrica prevê ampliação de maquinários para produção de mais 200 milhões de preservativos.

 

Parceiros da Natex

Ministério da Saúde (através da Funasa/FAR-Manguinhos e programa DST/Aids); Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia;

Ministério da Integração Nacional;

Ministério do Meio Ambiente;

Ministério do Desenvolvimento e Comércio Exterior (através da Superintendência da Zona Franca de Manaus, Suframa);

Ministério de Minas e Energias (por meio do Programa Luz Para Todos);

Conselho Nacional dos Seringueiros;

Associação dos Moradores e Produtores da Reserva Extrativista Chico Mendes de Xapuri (Amorex);

Sindicato dos Trabalhadores Rurais de Xapuri;

Cooperativa Agro-extrativista de Xapuri; BID;

Inal;

Blowtex.

Natex: preservativos com custo mais barato

O preservativo acreano alcança o mercado com cerca de 10% a menos de custo de produção e descobriu-se, depois de muitos experimentos, que a rentabilidade do látex nativo é até 8% superior a do látex de cultivo. Além disso, os testes revelaram também que no látex nativo a presença de minerais é 50% menor que no látex de cultivo, o que amplia a resistência da camisinha.

Convênios asseguram assistência técnica e pesquisa de novos produtos



O governador Binho Marques e o diretor-presidente da Fundação de Tecnologia do Acre (Funtac), César Dotto, assinaram dois convênios com o Ministério da Saúde: um de cooperação e assistência técnica e outro para desenvolvimento de novos produtos, no valor total de R$ 22 milhões.

Na oportunidade, Binho anunciou a potencialização das Zonas Especiais de Desenvolvimento (ZEDs) até 2010, ano que o Acre estará consolidado como o melhor lugar para se viver na Amazônia. As ZEDs são reflexo da Florestania e da política de desenvolvimento comunitário deflagrada por Binho em todo o Estado: "o Chico Mendes não via apenas um seringal, mas via um seringal com escola, saúde e qualidade de vida", afirmou, sempre evocando os princípios do líder ecologista cujo assassinato completa 20 anos em 2008.

O secretário nacional de Vigilância em Saúde, Gerson Penna, representou o ministro José Gomes Temporão, que não pôde comparecer à cerimônia devido a problemas em família. "Este é um momento de amor, que une todos os acreanos", disse Penna.

Tião Viana: "Binho zelou para que este sonho tornasse realidade"

Um dos mais incansáveis batalhadores para concretização da Natex, o senador Tião Viana fez sérias críticas à burocracia que tentava impedir a realização do sonho desenhado ao longo de décadas de lutas dos trabalhadores. O sonho, no entanto, sobrepujou aos problemas e se tornou realidade. "Muitas pessoas trabalharam para que isto fosse possível e o governador Binho Marques cuidou para que se tornasse realidade", disse o senador lembrando os vários personagens e parceiros do projeto.

"Este ato testemunha que as pessoas agora têm vez e voz", diz Marina

A ministra do Meio Ambiente, Marina Silva, se mostrava especialmente feliz com a inauguração da Natex. Marina relacionou aquele ato à concretização de um sonho que acabou sendo vivido por muitas pessoas e que terminou por promover a inclusão de pessoas que lutaram muito tempo pelos seus direitos. "E o que foi que nos mobilizou até aqui?", perguntou a ministra. "Hoje estamos aqui para testemunhar que pessoas sem voz ganharam voz", completou.

Marina conhece as dificuldades da vida na floresta e vê naquele empreendimento uma possibilidade real de desenvolvimento humano. Além disso, afirmou ela, a experiência ajudará a combater doenças não somente no Brasil mas no mundo inteiro.

Edmilson Ferreira
Agência de Notícias do Acre

Prostituee V/M Amsterdam, weerbaar en zelfstandig

Prostituees versterken en verzelfstandigen
25 juni 2008 - door SaidaAhyad-amsterdam.nl
Het college van B&W heeft ingestemd met de notitie ‘Prostituee V/M Amsterdam, weerbaar en zelfstandig’. Met dit besluit wil de gemeente de positie van prostituees in Amsterdam versterken. Prostitutie is geen gewone branche en is kwetsbaar voor uitbuiting en mensenhandel. Elke vorm van dwang moet uitgesloten worden. Prostituees moeten meer zelfstandig en onafhankelijk kunnen werken. De gemeente gaat toezichthouders inzetten om meer toezicht en controle op de werkplekken van prostituees te houden. Om misstanden verder terug te dringen en de arbeidspositie te verbeteren worden extra voorwaarden gesteld in de exploitatievergunning. Het Prostitutie & Gezondheidscentrum krijgt een spilfunctie en opvangplekken voor slachtoffers van mensenhandel worden uitgebreid.

Verantwoordelijk wethouder zorg, Marijke Vos: ‘De verbetering van de positie van prostituees is cruciaal. Een sterkere positie vergroot de weerbaarheid en keuzevrijheid en vermindert misstanden zoals mensenhandel. Het is hard nodig om de kennis over het arbeidsrecht te vergroten en er moet perspectief op ander werk zijn indien het de wens is om er uit te stappen. De aanpak van uitbuiting en vrouwenhandel is cruciaal. Dat doet de gemeente al via opsporing en vervolging. Daarnaast gaan we nog steviger inzetten op voorlichting, toezicht en komen er extra opvangplekken. Onze aanpak moet een verandering gaan brengen in de positie van Amsterdamse prostituees.’

Het prostitutie en gezondheidscentrum (P&G292) dat in april dit jaar open is gegaan wordt versterkt met een onafhankelijke klachtencoördinator die jaarlijks zal rapporten over misstanden in de prostitutiebranche. Samen met het Scharlaken Koord en Randstad start de gemeente Amsterdam uitstapprogramma’s. Uit de prostitutie stappen blijkt in de praktijk erg moeilijk. Daarom gaan de uitstapprogramma’s begeleiding bieden om stabiliteit te krijgen, zoals inkomen, een woning, schuldhulpverlening en werk. In 2007 werden 15% van de prostituees bereikt, over een jaar moet dat 30% zijn. Van april tot juni heeft het P&G292 240 contacten met prostituees gehad. Daarbij is voorlichting gegeven aan 120 personen, lichamelijk onderzoek gedaan, maatschappelijke hulp gegeven en voor 12 personen zijn uitstapprogramma’s gestart.

Het Amsterdams Coördinatiepunt Mensenhandel wordt versterkt om misstanden op te sporen en de zorg voor slachtoffers uit te breiden. Er komt een maatschappelijk werker voor ambulante begeleiding, psychosociale groepstrainingen en taalcursussen. Daarnaast wordt gestart met meer hulp en opvang voor meisjes jonger van 18 jaar die het slachtoffer dreigen te worden van mensenhandel.

Marijke Vos: ’Er is nog te weinig zicht op illegale prostitutie. Signalen daarover neem ik zeer serieus. De positie van de prostituees in de illegale branche is uiterst zwak en kwetsbaar. Wij willen deze mensen beter beschermen en gaan daarom de omvang van het illegale circuit in kaart brengen om op korte termijn maatregelen te kunnen treffen.’

Verder is Amsterdam in overleg met het ministerie van Sociale Zaken om meer duidelijkheid te krijgen over de toepassing van het arbeidsrecht op prostituees. Aan de exploitatievergunning in deze branche zal een sociaal hoofdstuk worden toegevoegd met aanvullende voorwaarden zoals het opeisbaar zijn van alle inkomsten door de prostituee zelf, het recht om zonder opgaaf van redenen bepaalde handelingen te weigeren en een aantal verplichtingen voor de eventuele exploitant om mensenhandel uit te sluiten.

Voor de uitvoering van al deze maatregelen wordt onder meer nauw samengewerkt met het Scharlaken Koord, de Rode Draad, Randstad, politie, Amsterdams Coördinatiepunt Mensenhandel, HVO Querido, de belastingdienst, GGD Amsterdam, Dienst Wonen en de Dienst Werk en Inkomen.

Achtergrond

Deze notitie hoort bij de nota ‘Oud beroep – Nieuw beleid 2007-2010’. In deze nota staan maatregelen op het terrein van openbare orde en veiligheid. In het huidige besluit van het college staan de ondersteunende en zorggerelateerde maatregelen. Samen vormen ze het integrale beleid rond de prostitutie in Amsterdam. Alle collegebesluiten rond prostitutie zijn na te lezen op www.amsterdam.nl.

CDA: Marijke Vos fout met uitspraak bordelen
AMSTERDAM -  De opvatting van de Amsterdamse wethouder Marijke Vos (GroenLinks) dat prostitutie een "aanvaardbare vorm van arbeid moet worden", zet kwaad bloed bij het CDA. "Een volstrekt verkeerd signaal", zegt aanvoerder Maurice Limmen, die opheldering eist.
Zorgwethouder Vos presenteert vandaag haar nieuwe plannen voor de prostitutiesector in Amsterdam.
De boodschap is nu al in het verkeerde keelgat geschoten bij het Amsterdamse CDA. "Dit strookt helemaal niet met de morele agenda van haar collega-wethouder Lodewijk Asscher (PvdA), die juist veel bordeelramen wil sluiten. En daar zijn wij het mee eens. Dit is dan ook een volstrekt verkeerd signaal."
"Als je denkt door arbeidsomstandigheden de positie van prostituees te kunnen verbeteren, waarom sluiten wij dan die ramen op de Wallen?"  -  Jarco de Swart Telegraaf: wo 25 jun 2008

Amsterdam een grote één tippelzone
Door het beleid van de gemeente Amsterdam is "de hele stad één tippelzone geworden." Dat zegt Metje Blaak van belangenorganisatie voor prostituees De Rode Draad. Nu Amsterdam de Wallen aan het schoonvegen is, verplaatst de prostitutie zich naar andere plekken in de stad. De Wallen 'verplaatsen' zich.
Op de Spuistraat is de verplaatsing van de Wallen het meest zichtbaar. Was tot enkele maanden geleden het aantal ramen nog beperkt, nu zijn de panden volledig verhuurd. Niet alleen de begane grond en de eerste etage, maar ook de verdiepingen erboven zijn bezet. "De vraag naar onze diensten blijft immers gewoon overeind", aldus een Amsterdamse prostituee.
De Amsterdamse wethouder Marijke Vos lanceert morgen plannen om prostitutie een "aanvaardbare vorm van arbeid" te maken.
Spits - M. van Helvert | 24-06-08

In het programma zijn bezoeken aan verschillende scholen opgenomen. De leerlingen verblijven daar in de slaapzalen van de scholen en draaien een aantal dagen het lesprogramma mee. Zo hopen ze goed contact te krijgen met mensen van hun leeftijd en ervaringen uit te kunnen wisselen. Ook hopen ze op intiem niveau gesprekken te kunnen voeren over beladen onderwerpen als HIV/AIDS en family-planning. Na de reis delen ze aan de hand van filmmateriaal hun ervaringen met leerlingen in Nederland.

Ze gaan daar dus oa die family planning lessen geven en de leerlingen volgden daarvoor een workshop Condomologie bij de Condomerie en kregen allerlei uitdeel- en les-materiaal mee, oa 1000 condooms.

Zie sponsor pagina:www.hardworkforbetter.com/friends.html

DOEL: Vrouwencondoom verbeteren en goedkoper maken

Het vrouwencondoom moet op veel grotere schaal beschikbaar zijn. Het helpt vrouwen hun lot in eigen hand te nemen. Daarom zet een aantal organisaties, waaronder Oxfam Novib, zich in voor de ontwikkeling en verspreiding ervan.



Oxfam Novib participeert in het Universal Access to Female Condom-programma (UAFC). Het programma heeft als doel om in 3 ontwikkelingslanden op grote schaal vrouwencondooms beschikbaar en betaalbaar te maken, zodat vrouwen zich kunnen beschermen tegen ongewenste zwangerschappen en besmetting met Aids en andere sexueel overdraagbare ziekten. Dit programma heeft verder als doel vrouwen toegang te geven tot het vrouwencondoom. Zo’n programma is hard nodig, want ieder jaar worden miljoenen vrouwen ongewenst zwanger en geïnfecteerd met seksueel overdraagbare ziektes. Jaarlijks overlijden 1,5 miljoen vrouwen aan aids. Het gebruik van het vrouwencondoom kan deze problemen verminderen omdat het een voorbehoedsmiddel is dat vrouwen zelf de controle geeft. Het nadeel van het condoom is dat het duur is, vaak niet beschikbaar, en er nauwelijks productontwikkeling plaatsvindt.

Om die nadelen het hoofd te bieden is in 2007 het UAFC-programma gestart. Deelnemers zijn, naast Oxfam Novib, de World Population Foundation (WPF), IDA Solutions (een organisatie die de keten tussen de farmaceutische fabriek en de consument zo efficiënt mogelijk laat verlopen), Stichting Jippy (een organisatie die goedkope mannencondooms op de Nederlandse markt brengt) en het Ministerie voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking. Het programma stimuleert verdere ontwikkeling van het vrouwencondoom. Daarnaast lobbyt het UAFC bij overheden en internationale organisaties, om ervoor te zorgen dat de condooms beschikbaar zijn en worden opgenomen in voorlichtingsprogramma’s. Het UAFC-programma heeft landenprogramma’s voor bijvoorbeeld Nigeria, waar het vrouwencondoom op grote schaal wordt geïntroduceerd in de loop van 2008.

Helaas zijn er rond Stichting Jippy problemen ontstaan. Jippy heeft aangegeven niet aan haar verplichting aan het UAFC te kunnen voldoen en zal zich daarom terugtrekken uit het programma. Oxfam Novib betreurt dit. We hebben de beëindiging van de contractrelatie met Jippy in handen gelegd van onze advocaat.

Gelukkig komt de uitvoering van het UAFC-programma en het vrouwencondoom niet in gevaar; de Amerikaanse Hewlett Foundation, de belangrijkste financier van het programma, heeft onlangs een bedrag van $1,4 miljoen voor twee jaar toegezegd. Binnenkort volgen financieringsaanvragen bij het Deense en Nederlandse Ministerie voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking, voor in totaal acht miljoen euro. Er is goede hoop dat die bedragen worden toegekend.

In Nigeria werken op dit moment tal van vrouwenorganisaties en HIV/Aids groepen samen om de introductie van het vrouwencondoom daar voor te bereiden. Afhankelijk van financiering door onder meer Nederland en Denemarken, zal het project in Nigeria nog dit jaar kunnen beginnen.


Bron: Oxfam Novib, 29 april 2008

BALTIMORE, USA  PRNewswire - September 30, 2005-   Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.


Female Health Company Announces International Availability of Second- Generation Female Condom at Significantly Lower Price. Mary Ann Leeper, Ph.D., President and COO of the Chicago-based Female Health Company (FHC), announced today that FHC has developed the second-generation FC2 Female Condom(TM) for the non U.S. market, which will be made available to developing countries at significantly reduced pricing when purchased in large volumes. FC2, made of nitrile, a synthetic material, looks and performs in a statistically similar manner to FHC's FC Female Condom(TM) (FC1) the only FDA approved female-initiated barrier device that is intended for women to protect themselves from HIV, other STDs and unintended pregnancies.

Leeper made the announcement at a summit meeting on the use and availability of the product class of female condom where she also challenged the global public sector to form a collective to ensure that FC2 was available at the lowest possible price.

Leeper also presented top line findings of a study done by Dr. David Holtgrave, Chair of the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, and his colleagues, at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. The study, which focused only on Brazil and South Africa, assumed three levels of use of FC2. At even low levels of use, the model predicted that more than 2,000 HIV infections would be prevented and about $1.4 million in health care costs saved in one year. At high levels of use, the model indicated that FC2 could prevent as many as 32,000 HIV infections, saving as much as $66.9 million in HIV-related health care costs in one year. The full study is being submitted for publication later this year.

"Changes in the material for FC2 permits use of a manufacturing process that results in reduced cost as volume increases. This offers the Female Health Company the opportunity to dramatically lower the price of FC2," Leeper said. Currently, FC1 sells for 72 cents per unit. Because of the manufacturing process, the price of FC1 does not change significantly even when purchased in large volumes. This is due to the fact that the cost associated with the current process isn't as sensitive to volume.

"The price of FC1 has meant that some HIV prevention programs cannot incorporate FC1 fully into a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy," Leeper said. "But in large volumes that are equal to only about 3% of the estimated male condom market, FC2 can be made available for as little as 22 cents per unit, dramatically improving its affordability."

"This is excellent news," said Zena Stein, Professor Emerita at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, and Co-Director of the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. "The biggest barrier to more widespread use of the female condom has been the price. Now that the price has been cut, potentially by two- thirds, we must distribute the FC2 Female Condom as rapidly as possible. This is a very real advance for women around the world."

"The Female Health Company is committed to empowering women in the developing world by ensuring they have access to FC2, one of the most cost- effective ways to dramatically lower HIV infection rates for women," said Leeper. "Worldwide, women account for an increasing proportion of new HIV infections. In sub-Saharan Africa, 60% of those living with HIV are women. Sadly, they are three times more likely to be infected with HIV than their male counterparts."

Last year, it is estimated that 6-9 billion male condoms were made available by the global public sector to help reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Leeper challenged the global public health sector to do more to ensure that women can protect themselves from HIV infection.

"The global public health sector must increase distribution of the female condom from last year's volume of 12 million to at least 180 million, which is still only 3% of the number of male condoms made available by the global public health sector throughout the world annually," said Jodi Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE). "There are no excuses for keeping this female-initiated method of HIV protection from women who desperately need it. Women around the world are increasingly becoming HIV infected. The tools they need to protect themselves must be put in their hands today."

Media Contacts: Michael Cover (US, Africa and Asia)
202-729-4199 -- Michael.Cover@ogilvypr.com
Alison Miles (Europe) 44 207 534 7243 -- alison.miles@toniq.co.uk
Company investors: William R. Gargiulo, Jr. -- 231-526-1244
Business/Product: Mary Ann Leeper, Ph.D. -- 312-595-9118

About FHC

The Female Health Company, based in Chicago, owns certain worldwide rights to FC Female Condom(TM) including patents which have been issued in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, The People's Republic of China, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and Australia. FC Female Condom(TM) is the only available product controlled by a woman that is intended to protect against sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy.

"Safe Harbor" Statement The statements in this press release which are not historical fact are forward-looking statements based upon the Company's current plan and strategies, and reflect the Company's current assessment of the risks and uncertainties related to its business, including such things as product demand and market acceptance; the economic and business environment and the impact of government pressures; currency risks; capacity; efficiency and supply constraints; and other risks detailed in the Company's press releases, shareholder communication and Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Actual events affecting the Company and the impact of such events on the Company's operations may vary from those currently anticipated. SOURCE Female Health Company
Web Site: http://www.femalehealth.com
http://www.femalecondom.org


050930
PR050945

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Vrijdag 22 februari 2008
In elke branche is er om de zoveel tijd wel sprake van een trend. Zo ook bij de coffeeshops. De nieuwste ontwikkeling is het zogenaamde 'condoomblowen'.
Hierbij wordt pure wiet verdampt en via een ballon geïnhaleerd. De coffeeshops zijn enthousiast want vanaf komende zomer mag daar geen tabak meer worden gerookt.
Een "zippie" van een ballonnetje, ook wel blowcondoom genoemd, is dan de oplossing.

kijk naar video bij www.at5.nl

Nieuwe anti-rook hype: 'Condoomblowen'
Amsterdam - Na 1 juni 2008 mag er in de horeca niet meer gerookt worden. Dus ook niet meer geblowt in de coffeeshop. Of de nieuwste hype daar alvast op vooruit loopt is niet bekend maar het 'blowcondoom' lijkt het helemaal te worden.
Volgens de lokale nieuwszender AT5 is het in Amsterdam inmiddels een echte hype. De pure wiet wordt verdampt en opgevangen in een ballon. Vanuit de blowcondoom kan dan een 'haaltje' genomen worden zonder dat iemand er last van heeft. Al hoewel waar moet de gebruiker zijn rook vervolgens heen blazen?

Author: Nondumiso Mbuyazi

Express News Service
Ahmedabad, India, 2007 November 19:     In a bid to check the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), Ahmedabad AIDS Control Society (AACS) and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs), have initiated a study in the city to gauge viability of introducing female condoms to commercial sex workers (CSWs).

The study — carried under Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL) — entails distributing free female condoms to a group of CSWs for feedback.



Speaking to Newsline, Social Marketing Head Hindustan Latex, Dr Sanjeev Kumar said that, currently, the study targets CSWs who fall in the high risk group.

“So far in the case of a client refusing to wear a condom, a CSW had to either refuse or comply with his demands,” said Kumar. “With female condoms being made available, they now have an option,” he added.

“This product is being introduced as an option for women when the man refuses to use a condom,” Kumar pointed out, adding that apart from empowering CSWs to protect themselves, this would also help them broaden their client base.

“Similar studies have been conducted in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh with excellent results,” said Kumar, adding that the study is on in Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Once it’s over and demand created, female condoms will be socially-marketed by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) through NGOs and other agencies, Kumar added.

Though the commercially-marketed female condoms would cost between Rs 40 to Rs 45 a piece, HLL will sell them at Rs 3 a piece to NACO, under its social marketing scheme, he further said. The end user may get it for about Rs 5 a piece, he added.

The Government of India has already procured 5 lakh female condoms to be distributed among CSWs in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Gujarat, he said.

Meanwhile, Director AACS Dr PK Malodia said that so far responses for female condoms have been very good. “There are some teething problems, which would be sorted out gradually,” he said.

However, some CSWs —to whom these condoms were distributed— said that while they can be used only in the case of clients refusing to use a male condom, they are rather cumbersome to use and may give away, losing out on the protection front.

Also, activists and medical practitioners are slightly apprehensive of the introduction. “As female condoms are designed for multiple use, the hygiene would be a significant issue,” said a highly placed source in Gujarat State AIDS Control Society.

“It would not be prudent to expect a CSW to change the condom after single encounters during the working hours, keeping in mind the trouble involved,” said the source.

“Under such situations, there are high chances of spread of STD from client to client,” he added. However, Dr Sanjeev Kumar made it clear that CSWs are being clearly instructed to use the female condoms only once.

“Though multiple use is possible, as for now, we are promoting this as a single use product,” Kumar said.

Berlijn, 21 maart. De drogisterijketen Schlecker mag in een filiaal in de Duitse stad Fulda geen condooms verkopen omdat het pand van de katholieke kerk is. 

Een Schlecker-manager bestempelde de toestand als Middeleeuws, nadat media de voorwaarde in het huurcontract hadden onthuld.

De kerk verdedigde zich door te stellen dat ze niet tegelijkertijd tegen het gebruik van voorbehoedsmiddelen kan zijn én de verkoop van condooms op eigen terrein kan toestaan.

Volgens de jongerenafdeling van de liberalen in Fulda gedraagt de kerk zich onverantwoordelijk. De voorzitter wees op het stijgend aantal geslachtsziektes. De partij deelde eerder deze week gratis condooms uit voor het filiaal, meldden Duitse media.

(bron ANP)

Zie ook Kerk en Condoom

Kirche verbietet Verkauf
Drogerie ohne Kondome
Das gibt's wohl nur einmal in Deutschland: Eine Drogerie, die keine Kondome verkauft. Wo? In Fulda. Die Katholische Kirche hat was dagegen. "Das ist ja wie im Mittelalter", erregt sich eine Mitarbeiterin der Drogerie.
 
"Kondome dürfen wir nicht verkaufen, weil das Haus der katholischen Kirche gehört", erklärt Schlecker-Filialleiterin Monika Michel. Laut einer Sittenklausel im Mietvertrag darf sie in ihrem Laden keine Artikel verkaufen, "die das öffentliche Ansehen der Kirche herabsetzen" könnten. "Durch diese Vorschrift geht Umsatz verloren. Wir müssen Kunden, die Kondome kaufen wollen, zur Konkurrenz schicken", erklärt sie.

Aber es gehe ihr nicht nur ums Geld, sondern auch um Sexualhygiene. "Ich habe deswegen schon beim Bischof vorgesprochen." Doch der Oberhirte habe sie abblitzen lassen. Sie hat die leidige Diskussion mittlerweile desillusioniert aufgegeben: "Irgendwann wird man müde und fügt sich."
 



Bistum Fulda: Kondomverkauf wäre skandalös!
 18.03.2008
Die Schlecker Firmenleitung hält sich zu dem Kondom-Verbot zurück. "Dieser Eingriff in unser dortiges Verkaufssortiment geht sicherlich weit. Aber wir wollen uns dazu nicht weiter äußern", blockt ein Sprecher des Unternehmens ab. Bezirksleiterin Marlene Sormani wird da deutlicher. "Das ist ja wie im Mittelalter. Ich weiß nicht, ob diese Haltung vorteilhaft für das Ansehen der Kirche ist".

Die angesprochene Kirchengemeinde St. Blasius, der das Haus gehört, gibt sich zugeknöpft und verweist zum übergeordneten Bischöflichen Generalvikariat. Dort kann man die heftige Erregung nicht verstehen: "Ich weiß nicht, was daran kurios sein soll", sagt Bistumssprecher Christof Ohnesorge: "Die Kirche kann nicht einerseits mechanische Verhütungsmittel ablehnen, aber andererseits dulden, dass in einem Haus der Kirche mit Kondomen Geschäfte gemacht werden."

www.hr-online.de/website/rubriken/nachrichten/index.jsp
 

(GGD Amsterdam/ANP)

en op 11 december stond er in het Parool:  AMSTERDAM - De GGD gaat jongeren tussen de zestien en 24 jaar volgend jaar aansporen alleen nog maar veilige seks te hebben.
Begin volgend jaar begint de gezondheidsdienst de 'Vrij Lekkercampagne' met een online 'Safe Sex Training'. Op de website www.vrijlekker.nl krijgen jongeren door invulling van een vragenformulier een seksadvies op maat, aldus de GGD.
De dienst constateert dat het percentage met seksueel overdraagbare aandoening besmette jongeren in deze leeftijdscategorie groep hardnekkig hoog blijft. Chlamydia en gonorroe komen zelfs het meeste voor in deze groep.
Uit de antwoorden van de interactieve Safe Sex Training moet blijken of de jongere barri�res tegenkomt bij het vrijen. Daarnaast kan hij online een korte videocursus volgen van de twee 'love coaches' Tamara Brinkman en Mark Labrand - deejays bij SlamFM en Veronica - alsmede Angela Groothuizen en medewerkers van de GGD.
De campagne gaat ook in op het bestrijden van fabeltjes over soa's en hiv en de 'excuse fighter'. Bij de laatste worden argumenten aangereikt om smoesjes te ontkrachten van partners die geen condoom willen gebruiken.
Via de website kunnen jongeren direct en goedkoop condooms bestellen bij de Condomerie: tien voor 99 cent, te bestellen per mobieltje.

en op 11 december stond er in de Telegraaf: Amsterdam spoort jongeren aan tot veilige seks
AMSTERDAM -  De GGD in Amsterdam gaat jongeren tussen de 16 en 24 jaar volgend jaar aansporen alleen nog maar veilige seks te hebben. Op 3 januari begint de gezondheidsdienst de Vrij Lekkercampagne met een online 'Safe Sex Training'. Op de website www.vrijlekker.nl krijgen jongeren door invulling van een vragenformulier een seksadvies op maat, aldus de GGD maandag.
 

De gezondheidsdienst constateert dat het percentage met soa (seksueel overdraagbare aandoening) besmette jongeren tussen de 16 en 24 jaar hardnekkig hoog blijft. De aandoeningen chlamydia en gonorroe komen zelfs het meeste voor in deze leeftijdsgroep. Via de Vrij Lekkercampagne wil de GGD in Amsterdam de problematiek omtrent het onveilig vrijen bij jongeren „meer gericht en effectief aanpakken”.

Uit de antwoorden van de interactieve Safe Sex Training moet blijken of de jongere barrières tegenkomt bij het vrijen. Indien er moeilijkheden of onzekerheden zijn, kan hij online direct een korte videocursus volgen van onder andere de twee 'love coaches' Tamara Brinkman en Mark Labrand (dj's bij SlamFM en Veronica), Angela Groothuizen en medewerkers van de GGD.

De Vrij Lekkercampagne gaat ook in op het bestrijden van fabeltjes over soa's en hiv, de controle van meisjes op condoomgebruik en de zogeheten 'excuse fighter'. Bij dat laatste worden argumenten aangereikt om smoesjes van partners te ontkrachten, zoals de smoes geen condoom te gebruiken.

Via de website kunnen jongeren direct condooms en glijmiddel kopen bij de Condomerie in Amsterdam voor een lagere prijs: tien condooms voor 99 cent. Ze kunnen betalen met hun mobiele telefoon.

23-11-2007

A film director has broken a national taboo by making a series of AIDS-awareness advertisements using the word “condom” on screen.

Filming began yesterday at Rome airport of a government-backed television commercial aimed at helping Italians – especially the young - to overcome their embarrassment in asking for contraceptives.

Previous campaigns have avoided explicit mention of condoms in the Catholic nation, which records 4,000 new HIV cases each year.

Last month Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholic pharmacists to avoid dispensing contraceptives and pregnancy terminating drugs, saying that “conscientious objection” by chemists “must be recognised as a right by the pharmaceutical profession”.

The latest adverts, financed by the Ministry of Health, have put the centre-left administration on a collision course with the Vatican. The one being filmed yesterday shows the airport chemist’s shop, where a young man is trying to summon up the courage to ask for condoms. His girlfriend, impatient with his shyness, marches up to the counter and asks for them. An older couple waiting for a flight follow suit, and the chemist is suddenly inundated by passengers clamouring for condoms.

The advert, to be released in January, is directed by Francesca Archibugi, whose latest box-office hit in Italy is Flying Lessons. Ambra Angiolini, a well-known actress and TV host, will remind viewers of the “terrifying statistics” of AIDS infection.

“Until now we always spoke about ‘safe sex’ on television, but no one dared to use the word condom,” Ms Archibugi said. “There has been a lot of resistance.”

She told the Corriere della Sera that many young Italians thought of AIDS as “something that has passed, like smallpox, and which people don’t catch any more”. Livia Turco, the Health Minister, said that the Pope had the right to “urge young people to be sexually responsible” but had “no business telling professionals such as pharmacists what to do”.

Source: Times Online, 23/11/2007

- mei 2007 door Kalja van der Linden, medewerker van De Condomerie

IPPF reports about rise in STI based on Seattle Post-Intelligence.

Seeing the rates of sexually transmitted diseases jump in the US - a country with such wealth, free media and access to education - is dismaying and alarming.

The Associated Press reports that cases of chlamydia, congenital syphilis and even gonorrhea, which in 2004 seemed to be falling in transmissions, are all on the rise.

The reasons for the increase in those disease rates are varied and experts don't necessarily agree on them. It could be because of a shift in sexual behavior (as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims), or superbugs, as some doctors consider.

While experts put their minds to work on issues such as why chlamydia has reached an all-time high, we'd like to urge the federal government to restore funding for STD testing at clinics such as Planned Parenthood. The Family Planning Waiver was revised last year to remove coverage for STD screenings that aren't part of a patient's annual exam, because such screenings aren't considered part of family planning.

But consider that congenital syphilis, for example, can kill babies or cause a range of deformities. And chlamydia is linked to infertility - or reduced fertility - in men and women, and that about 75 percent of women infected with chlamydia show no symptoms at all. Any disease that affects one's reproductive system surely must be covered under family planning health care. Clearly, a public education campaign that goes beyond abstinence-only programs and better access to STD screenings - especially for those who can't afford it - is needed.

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 15/Nov2007

U.S.A. Chlamydia Infections Hit All-Time High. 

USA: Young Sexually Active Women: Get Checked for Chlamydia. A report reveals a record number of new cases last year

Back in 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all sexually active women under age 26 be screened annually for chlamydia. Apparently, it isn't happening.

Just-released data from the federal agency reveal that more than 1 million new cases of chlamydia were diagnosed in 2006—a record. "If we're going to combat this," said John M. Douglas Jr., director of the CDC's division of sexually transmitted disease prevention, in a teleconference on the report, doctors and young women must "understand the importance of routine screening every year." Women of any age who have a new partner, multiple partners, or vaginal discharge should seek screening. Pregnant women should also be tested, the CDC suggests. The screen is a simple matter of a urine test, without a pelvic examination or even necessarily a trip to the gynecologist.



Experts say that some physicians may not screen for chlamydia because they believe that STD prevalence is low in their practices. But women should ask for the test if it isn't offered to them, according to Douglas. About three quarters of infected women and about half of infected men don't have symptoms. (Screening recommendations currently don't include men, since the potential benefits aren't known.)

Though symptoms may be nonexistent, untreated chlamydia can cause infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and pelvic inflammatory disease. And it makes women up to five times as likely to contract HIV if exposed as noninfected women. Chlamydia can also cause penile discharge in men, as well as rare but serious complications such as urethritis and epididymitis, an infection of the epididymis, a tube that carries sperm. According to one study cited by the CDC, screening and treatment may reduce the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease by more than 50 percent. And they're critical to preventing associated infertility, the report says.
By January Payne
November 14, 2007

Weightlifter caught with father's urine in condom

A Romanian weightlifter has been banned for two years after trying to fake a drug test by using urine supplied by his father and carried in a condom.

Victor Alexandru Pretoi turned up at an out-of-competition control with the intention of using his father's urine in place of his own to try and trick testers, a spokesman for the Romanian anti-drug agency (ANAD) said on Wednesday.

With their suspicions raised by Pretoi's jumpy behaviour testers carried out a search and uncovered the attempted bid to foil the control.

"Victor Alexandra Pretoi, a weightlifter from the Steau club, turned up for an out-of-competition control with a condom filled with urine from his father and held in his left palm with the knowledge of his manager," the ANAD spokesman confirmed.

Gewichtheber versucht Dopingtest zu manipulieren

Victor Alexandra Pretoi wollte einen Dopingtest manipulieren
Bei einem Dopingtest hat der rumänische Gewichtheber Victor Alexandra Pretoi versucht, mit einer Urin-Probe seines Vaters zu betrügen. Der Schwerathlet vom Hauptstadtklub Steaua Bukarest war von Fahndern der nationalen Anti-Doping-Agentur ANAD mit einer unangemeldeten Kontrolle überrascht worden.

Den ANAD-Testern präsentierte Pretoi in ein Kondom abgefülltes Urin, verhielt sich aber so merkwürdig, dass die Fahnder misstrauisch wurden. In den Betrugsversuch soll auch Petrois Managers verwic

La fiesta de 40 camisinhas

'Robinho vroeg om veertig condooms'
Drank, muziek en vrouwen waren de ingrediënten voor een plezierig nachtje voor enkele spelers van de Braziliaanse ploeg. De 5-0 overwinning tegen Ecuador woensdag leidde tot een wild feest in een van de beste nachtclubs van Río de Janeiro: The Cat Walk de Barra da Tijuca. Een verslaggever van de Braziliaanse krant O Globo spotte [ zie foto ] onder andere Robinho en Ronaldinho. Eerstgenoemde zou het gewoel even hebben verlaten om het personeel te vragen of hij veertig condooms kon krijgen. Samen met onder anderen Ronaldinho had Robinho feestgevierd. Een party die hij zelf had georganiseerd en in Brazilië al bekendstaat als die van de 40 camisinhas, de 40 condooms, het aantal dat Robinho bij de baas bestelde.

Bij terugkeer in Madrid ontkende Robinho dat verhaaltje. Trainer Bernd Schuster was nochtans woedend en nam de dribbelaar niet op in zijn selectie voor de wedstrijd tegen Espanyol. Er hangt hem een boete boven het hoofd.
Voor de Champions League-wedstrijd van gisteren tegen Olympiakos was de kleine Braziliaan weer door Schuster in genade aangenomen, al moet hij nog wel een boete betalen. En zijn ploeg had profijt van zijn terugkeer.

Toen Real op een onverwachte nederlaag leek af te stormen, leidde hij de Koninklijke met twee doelpunten langs de Grieken. Hij vierde de treffers met een duim in zijn mond: zijn vriendin is zwanger, dus was vorige week de vraag in Brazilië waarom hij die 40 condooms nodig had.

In Brazilië zijn ruim 600.000 inwoners op 190 miljoen mensen besmet met het hiv-virus, vandaar dat de staat flinke inspanningen levert in de bestrijding van aids. Eerder dit jaar werden er nog 10 miljoen condooms uitgedeeld voor het carnaval. Dat mensen met een voorbeeldfunctie 'm opzetten is dus lovenswaardig, maar Robinho maakte het [ blijkbaar ] vorige week toch iets te gortig.

40 condoms for Real Madrid and Brazilian star Roubinho?

Married footballers are "more stable" than their single counterparts, according to Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster.

 
"When we prepare the transfer of a player, the first thing we ask him is whether he's married. These types of players are more stable," the Marca sports daily quoted Schuster as telling businessmen in the northern city of Zaragoza.

"We know that our players must have the best healthy way of life for this profession and they must realise the importance of Real Madrid, a club they represent 24 hours of the day," Schuster added.

"In this world, everything comes down to knowing one's self. They must therefore be professional and always have Real Madrid in their heads."

One Real player who might learn from Schuster's self-perceived words of wisdom is Brazilian striker Robinho, a 23-year-old bachelor.

Robinho had been criticised after his late night celebrations which followed Brazil's 5-0 thrashing of Ecuador last month and which appear to have delayed his return to Madrid from international duty.

According to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, Robinho had asked a security guard at a nightclub during that drunken evening for "40 condoms".

"When he came back from Brazil, we didn't know what to do with Robinho. We had a Champions League match two days later so I decided to speak with him.

"By speaking with him, I understood that there were not 40 condoms, that the party didn't last so long and hadn't been so big.

"At Real there are rules, ways to follow, but I prefer dialogue to punishment. With Robinho we were right."

Condones para Robinho?
La fiesta organizada por algunos jugadores de la selección brasileña, entre ellos los del Real Madrid, salta a varios medios de información locales

RÍO DE JANEIRO- BRASIL - 19.10.07 -
La fiesta organizada por algunos jugadores de la selección brasileña para conmemorar la goleada por 5-0 sobre Ecuador en partido por las eliminatorias mundialistas se extendió varias horas tanto en una discoteca como en un hotel, según relatan varios medios de información locales.
A la fiesta privada en una discoteca del exclusivo barrio de Barra de Tijuca asistieron, entre otros, el delantero Robinho (Real Madrid), el centrocampista Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Barcelona) y el atacante Vágner Love (CSKA de Moscú).
La celebración, para la que un grupo que no fue identificado alquiló por cerca de 15.000 dólares lla discoteca The Cat Walk de Barra de Tijuca, una de las más fastuosas de Río de Janeiro, y cuyo propietario fue animada por diferentes bandas de música y por varias mujeres invitadas por amigas de los futbolistas.
Tras la victoria sobre Ecuador, que concluyó a la medianoche del jueves en el estadio Maracaná, los jugadores asistieron a un acto programado por la Confederación Brasileña de Fútbol (CBF), por lo que comenzaron a llegar a la discoteca ya de madrugada.
Según algunas versiones de prensa, los últimos en salir de la discoteca, ya en medio de la mañana, fueron Ronaldinho Gaúcho y Vágner Love, que aprovecharon un telón negro en la puerta de la discoteca para abandonar el establecimiento sin ser fotografiados.
La fiesta, sin embargo, continuó por algunas horas en un hotel próximo en donde estaban alojados varios de los futbolistas.
En declaraciones que concedió al portal "Ego" antes de embarcar a Madrid al final de la tarde del jueves, Robinho afirmó que abandonó el lugar a las 5.00 de la mañana y negó que hubiese sido uno de los patrocinadores de la conmemoración y que hubiese abandonado la discoteca en la compañía de una rubia.
"La fiesta no era mía; no pedí ningún preservativo y no salí con ninguna rubia", afirmó el delantero del Real Madrid, que supuestamente gritó repetidas veces durante la fiesta que necesitaba "camisinhas" ( condones ), en las declaraciones citadas por Ego.
"Estábamos en una conmemoración en el propio estadio cuando nos llamaron avisando que había una fiesta, que no era mía, y decidimos ir", agregó.
Sobre la mujer con la que fue visto alegó que apenas era una amiga a la que ayudó a entrar a la fiesta y que la dejó en el lugar con otros amigos.
"Voy a casarme el próximo año, mi mujer está embarazada de cinco meses. Apenas fui a conmemorar la victoria", afirmó el delantero al mismo portal.
Como no llegaron a tiempo para el entrenamiento de este viernes, los madridistas Julio Baptista y Robinho fueron vetados para la jornada del campeonato español del final de semana.

Married footballers are "more stable" than their single counterparts, according to Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster.

 
"When we prepare the transfer of a player, the first thing we ask him is whether he's married. These types of players are more stable," the Marca sports daily quoted Schuster as telling businessmen in the northern city of Zaragoza.

"We know that our players must have the best healthy way of life for this profession and they must realise the importance of Real Madrid, a club they represent 24 hours of the day," Schuster added.

"In this world, everything comes down to knowing one's self. They must therefore be professional and always have Real Madrid in their heads."

One Real player who might learn from Schuster's self-perceived words of wisdom is Brazilian striker Robinho, a 23-year-old bachelor.

Robinho had been criticised after his late night celebrations which followed Brazil's 5-0 thrashing of Ecuador last month and which appear to have delayed his return to Madrid from international duty.

According to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, Robinho had asked a security guard at a nightclub [ photo ] during that drunken evening for "40 condoms". [Football condoms?] The nightclub  is called 'discoteca The Cat Walk da Barra de Tijuca, most exclusif nightclub of Río de Janeiro.

"When he came back from Brazil, we didn't know what to do with Robinho. We had a Champions League match two days later so I decided to speak with him.

"By speaking with him, I understood that there were not 40 condoms, that the party didn't last so long and hadn't been so big.

"At Real there are rules, ways to follow, but I prefer dialogue to punishment. With Robinho we were right."

Condones para Robinho?
La fiesta organizada por algunos jugadores de la selección brasileña, entre ellos los del Real Madrid, salta a varios medios de información locales

RÍO DE JANEIRO- BRASIL - 19.10.07 -
La fiesta organizada por algunos jugadores de la selección brasileña para conmemorar la goleada por 5-0 sobre Ecuador en partido por las eliminatorias mundialistas se extendió varias horas tanto en una discoteca como en un hotel, según relatan varios medios de información locales.
A la fiesta privada en una discoteca del exclusivo barrio de Barra de Tijuca asistieron, entre otros, el delantero Robinho (Real Madrid), el centrocampista Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Barcelona) y el atacante Vágner Love (CSKA de Moscú).
La celebración, para la que un grupo que no fue identificado alquiló por cerca de 15.000 dólares lla discoteca The Cat Walk da Barra de Tijuca, una de las más fastuosas de Río de Janeiro, y cuyo propietario fue animada por diferentes bandas de música y por varias mujeres invitadas por amigas de los futbolistas.
Tras la victoria sobre Ecuador, que concluyó a la medianoche del jueves en el estadio Maracaná, los jugadores asistieron a un acto programado por la Confederación Brasileña de Fútbol (CBF), por lo que comenzaron a llegar a la discoteca ya de madrugada.
Según algunas versiones de prensa, los últimos en salir de la discoteca, ya en medio de la mañana, fueron Ronaldinho Gaúcho y Vágner Love, que aprovecharon un telón negro en la puerta de la discoteca para abandonar el establecimiento sin ser fotografiados.
La fiesta, sin embargo, continuó por algunas horas en un hotel próximo en donde estaban alojados varios de los futbolistas.
En declaraciones que concedió al portal "Ego" antes de embarcar a Madrid al final de la tarde del jueves, Robinho afirmó que abandonó el lugar a las 5.00 de la mañana y negó que hubiese sido uno de los patrocinadores de la conmemoración y que hubiese abandonado la discoteca en la compañía de una rubia.
"La fiesta no era mía; no pedí ningún preservativo y no salí con ninguna rubia", afirmó el delantero del Real Madrid, que supuestamente gritó repetidas veces durante la fiesta que necesitaba "camisinhas" ( condones ), en las declaraciones citadas por Ego. El diario «O Globo» recoge, por su parte, que Robinho pidió a un camarero de la discoteca «cuarenta condones».
"Estábamos en una conmemoración en el propio estadio cuando nos llamaron avisando que había una fiesta, que no era mía, y decidimos ir", agregó.
Sobre la mujer con la que fue visto alegó que apenas era una amiga a la que ayudó a entrar a la fiesta y que la dejó en el lugar con otros amigos.
"Voy a casarme el próximo año, mi mujer está embarazada de cinco meses. Apenas fui a conmemorar la victoria", afirmó el delantero al mismo portal.
Como no llegaron a tiempo para el entrenamiento de este viernes, los madridistas Julio Baptista y Robinho fueron vetados para la jornada del campeonato español del final de semana.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Doctors have long argued over the health effects of coffee, but its reputation looks set to receive a boost thanks to a new flavoured condom that aims to encourage safer sex in Ethiopia.

Around 300,000 of the coffee condoms were sold in one week when they were launched in September, according to NGO DKT International. It hopes to tap into Ethiopia's coffee mania as a means to tackle high rates of HIV in the country, which is said to have invented the drink.  The NGO is hoping to fight the spread of AIDS with a unique product that appeals to coffee mania in the country that claims to have invented the drink: java-scented condoms for Ethiopia This Washington D.C.-based charity DKT International says the novelty product addresses a serious issue.
Ethiopia has an AIDS rate of 2.1 percent, and in the capital Addis Ababa it is more than 7 percent, according to government estimates.

Andrew Piller, director of DKT's local chapter, said the aim of the coffee condoms was not to make money, but to make condom-users more comfortable.

DKT has noted some users' complaints about the latex scent of plain condoms, and has also tried to market condoms in other parts of the world tailored to local tastes, including those scented with the infamously stinky durian fruit in Indonesia and sweet-corn fragranced condoms in China.

"Everybody likes the flavor of coffee," says a DKT spokeswoman, Emebet Abu in Ethiopia.

The Coffee Condoms sell in packs of three for 1 birr, or about 9 euro cents -- about half the price of a cup of coffee in one of Addis Ababa's many sidewalk cafes, and much cheaper than unsubsidized condoms. The dark brown condoms smell like Ethiopia's popular macchiato, an espresso with a generous amount of cream and sugar.

"It is about time to use an Ethiopian flavor for beautiful Ethiopian girls," said Dereje Alemu, a 19-year-old university student.

But in a deeply conservative country, the prophylactic has attracted some criticism.

"It's inappropriate," said Bedilu Assefa, a spokesman for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, whose tens of millions of followers are encouraged to abstain from sex outside marriage. "We're proud of our coffee."

Even critics of the coffee condom, though, recognize the importance of safe sex. "I hate coffee-flavored condoms," said a 37-year-old mechanic Tadesse Teferi. "But I use ordinary condoms when I have sex with ladies other than my wife."

 http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/1423

By David Batty 2 nov 2007

VERTALING op november 3, 2007 door katrien de graeve, Erè Mèla Mèla vzw  www.eremelamela.com

Ethiopië gooit condooms met koffiesmaak in de strijd tegen Aids (The Guardian)
Dokters discussiëren al lang over de gezondheidseffecten van koffie, maar de reputatie van deze zwarte drank lijkt nu wel een boost te krijgen dankzij een condoom met koffiearoma dat veiligere seks moet aanmoedigen in Ethiopië.
Er werden volgens de Amerikaanse hulporganisatie DKT International rond de 300.000 koffiecondooms verkocht in de week waarin ze werden gelanceerd in september. De organisatie wil inspelen op de koffierage in de bakermat van de koffie om de hoge HIV-besmettingsgraad in het land een halt toe te roepen. 2,1% van de Ethiopiërs en 7% van de inwoners van de hoofdstad Addis Abeba zijn besmet met Aids. Daarom is dit voorbehoedsmiddel met een smaakje meer dan een nieuwtje. “Iedereen houdt van het aroma van koffie,” zei de woordvoerster. De condooms worden verkocht in pakjes van drie voor 1 birr wat ongeveer de helft van de prijs is voor een kopje koffie in een café in Addis Abeba, en wat veel goedkoper is dan de meeste andere condoommerken.
De donkerbruine condooms zouden moeten ruiken als de in Ethiopië populaire macchiato, een espresso met een ruime portie room en suiker. “Het is tijd om een Ethiopische smaak te gebruiken voor mooie Ethiopische meisjes,” zei Dereje Alemu, een negentienjarige universiteitsstudent. Het product werd ontwikkeld na klachten over de latexgeur van gewone condooms.
DKT heeft ook in andere delen van de wereld gearomatiseerde condooms geïntroduceerd in een poging tegemoet te komen aan de lokale smaak. Onder andere condooms met het aroma van de beruchte stinkvrucht in Indonesia, of van zoete maïs in China.
Maar het laatste product van de organisatie heeft wel wat kritiek gegenereerd in het diep conservatieve Ethiopië. “Het is ongehoord,” zei Bedilu Assefa, een woordvoerder van de Ethiopische Orthodoxe kerk. De kerk moedigt haar miljoenen volgelingen aan zich te onthouden van buitenhuwelijkse seks. “We zijn trots op onze koffie”.
Maar zelfs degene die niet te vinden zijn voor het idee van koffiecondooms, erkennen het belang van veilige seks. “Ik haat condooms met koffiearoma,” zegt Tadesse Teferi, een 37-jarige mecanicien. “Maar ik gebruik gewone condooms wanneer ik seks heb met dames die niet mijn vrouw zijn”.
©The Guardian International 03.11.07 (kdg)

LICHTENVOORDE - 17- juli-2007 - Een knalroze condoom van 34 meter gaat 27 juli tijdens het Zwarte Cross festival in Lichtenvoorde de lucht in. De eigenaar, de GGD, gaat daarmee voor een vermelding van het grootste condoom ter wereld in het Guiness Book of Records, zei een woordvoerster van GGD Gelre-IJssel.

De luchtballon is aangeschaft door zeven GGD's in Nederland. Het condoom is bedoeld om te aandacht te vestigen op soa en veilig vrijen. 'De soa-cijfers stijgen nog steeds. We gaan de ballon gebruiken als ondersteuning bij preventieactiviteiten', aldus de zegsvrouw.

De ballon ter waarde van tienduizenden euro's is onder meer te zien tijdens de ballonfeesten in Joure en allerlei muziek- en theaterfestivals. Het aantal gevallen van soa stijgt, aandacht voor veilig vrijen blijft noodzakelijk.
Met de opvallende luchtballon in de vorm van een condoom vestigt GGD Gelre-IJssel tijdens de Zwarte Cross in Lichtenvoorde de aandacht op het belang van veilig vrijen. Het stijgend aantal gevallen van soa in de regio vormt hiervoor de directe aanleiding.
Vlak voor de opening van de Zwarte Cross op vrijdagavond 27 juli zal deze bijzondere ballon de lucht in gaan. Daarmee doen de deelnemende GGD’en ook een poging in het Guinness Book of Records te komen, in de categorie ‘grootste condoom’. De exploitatie van de ballon is in handen van Virgin Balloon Flights Benelux in Tilburg.

De luchtdoop wordt verricht door de directeur generaal van het RIVM (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu) de heer M.Sprenger.
Terwijl het ‘reuzencondoom’ vrijdagavond boven het Lichtenvoordse feestterrein zweeft, attenderen vrijwilligers van het Veilig Vrijen team van GGD Gelre-IJssel en een team van soa-verpleegkundigen de bezoekers op ludieke wijze op het belang van veilige seks.
  
Vlak voor de opening van de Zwarte Cross op vrijdagavond 27 juli zal deze bijzondere ballon de lucht in gaan. Daarmee doen de deelnemende GGD’en ook een poging in het Guinness Book of Records te komen, in de categorie ‘grootste condoom’. De exploitatie van de ballon is in handen van Virgin Balloon Flights Benelux in Tilburg.

De luchtdoop wordt verricht door de directeur generaal van het RIVM (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu) de heer M.Sprenger.
Terwijl het ‘reuzencondoom’ vrijdagavond boven het Lichtenvoordse feestterrein zweeft, attenderen vrijwilligers van het Veilig Vrijen team van GGD Gelre-IJssel en een team van soa-verpleegkundigen de bezoekers op ludieke wijze op het belang van veilige seks. 

De Zwarte Cross, populair bij jong en oud, biedt de GGD Gelre-IJssel de mogelijkheid om in korte tijd een groot publiek te bereiken (in 2006 waren er meer dan 80.000 bezoekers). Het Achterhoekse festival wordt professioneel georganiseerd en biedt drie dagen lang live-muziek, theater, kermis en ludieke stunts met motorfietsen. De voorlichtingsactie van GGD Gelre-IJssel is tot stand gekomen in goede samenwerking met de festivalorganisatie.  

Reuzencondoom vestigt aandacht op veilig vrijen
Samen met zes andere GGD'en heeft GGD Gelre-IJssel het initiatief genomen een bijzondere ballon te lanceren. Deze ballon, in de vorm van een reuzencondoom, is bedoeld om de voorlichting over veilig vrijen te ondersteunen.
De ballon zal dan ook worden ingezet tijdens grote (jongeren-)manifestaties en festivals.
Met dit ‘reuzencondoom' doen de deelnemende GGD'en een gooi naar een plekje in het Guinness Book of Records. De ballon wordt geproduceerd door Cameron Balloons Ltd te Bristol UK; de exploitatie is in handen van Virgin Balloon Flights Benelux in Tilburg.

Het varen met deze gigant is complexer dan met een gewone ballon. Virgin beschikt over veertien piloten (onder wie twee vrouwen) die dit voor hun rekening gaan nemen.
De maidentrip staat gepland op vrijdag 27 juli 2007 vanaf het festivalterrein van de Zwarte Cross in Lichtenvoorde.

Nadere info:
Virgin: Daan van Loosbroek, (013) 5900692
GGD Gelre-IJssel: Erna de Vries, (0570) 664 698
 

KATMANDU in NEPAL-  Women in the Nepal mountain village of Pang have been mailing condoms to their husbands working overseas to protect them from AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, the Kantipur Newspaper reported on 6 november.

The women of Pang have been writing their husbands letters urging them not to have sex with others but they have been enclosing condoms just in case, Kantipur Newspaper reported.

Social workers have been counseling the women about sexually transmitted infections.

"As I learned that unsafe relations make a person vulnerable to HIV, I sent a condom along with the letters to my husband," one of the village wives, Laxmi Sunar, told the newspaper.
An estimated 3 million people from impoverished and poor Nepal work overseas, most as manual laborers, and send money home to support their families.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first discovered on June 5, 1981, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. In 2005 alone, AIDS claimed an estimated 2.4–3.3 million lives, of which more than 570,000 were children. A third of these deaths are occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, retarding economic growth and destroying human capital.

Kantipur Newspaper - 8.11.2007

Naar schatting drie miljoen Nepalezen werken in het buitenland, meestal in de bouw.

Kantipur Newspaper - 8.11.2007  

Nepal: Women Mail Condoms to Husbands Abroad.

KATMANDU in NEPAL-  Women in a Nepal mountain village have been mailing condoms to their husbands working overseas to protect them from sexually transmitted diseases, the Kantipur Newspaper reported Tuesday.

The women of Pang village have been writing their husbands letters urging them not to have sex with others _ but they have been enclosing condoms just in case, the Kantipur newspaper reported.

Social workers have been counseling the women about sexually transmitted diseases.

"As I learned that unsafe relations make a person vulnerable to HIV, I sent a condom along with the letters to my husband," one of the village wives, Laxmi Sunar, told the newspaper.

An estimated 3 million people from impoverished Nepal work overseas, most as manual laborers, and send money home to support their families.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first discovered on June 5, 1981, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. In 2005 alone, AIDS claimed an estimated 2.4–3.3 million lives, of which more than 570,000 were children. A third of these deaths are occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, retarding economic growth and destroying human capital.

Kantipur Newspaper - 8.11.2007

AMSTERDAM - MAASTRICHT   Net als in 2006 heeft 70% van mannen die seks hebben met mannen veilige seks. Hiv-positieve mannen meldden veel vaker onbeschermde seks te hebben gehad wanneer er sprake is van de volgende risicofactoren: drugsgebruik, darkroombezoek en/of dating via internet.

Dat zijn de belangrijkste conclusies uit Schorer Monitor 2007, een onderzoek van de Universiteit Maastricht en Schorer. Daarin beantwoordden bijna 3700 mannen die seks hebben met mannen (MSM) vragen over hun seksleven.

Stijging hiv-testen, maar nog niet voldoende
Schorer adviseert MSM elk jaar een hiv-test te doen, om verdere verspreiding tegen te gaan en om patiënten beter te kunnen behandelen. In de uitslagen van Schorer Monitor 2007 steeg het percentage op hiv geteste mannen weliswaar ten opzichte van 2006 met 3% tot 63%. Maar slechts 32% bleek in de voorafgaande 12 maanden een hiv-test te hebben gedaan.

Soa en vaccinaties
Minder mannen dan in 2006 gaven aan het voorafgaande jaar een soa-diagnose te hebben gekregen (van 14% naar 10%). Het percentage MSM dat volledig is gevaccineerd tegen hepatitis B steeg van 38% in 2006 naar 45% dit jaar. Dit zijn gunstige ontwikkelingen, die nog verder versterkt dienen te worden.

Extra preventie-inspanningen nodig
De onderzoeksresultaten tonen dat vooral binnen de groep hiv-positieven nieuwe preventieactiviteiten nodig zijn, zeker wanneer die mannen daten via internet, darkrooms bezoeken en/of drugs gebruiken. Verder dienen bestaande activiteiten te worden geïntensiveerd, met name om het testen op hiv te bevorderen.

Schorer Monitor
De Schorer Monitor is een jaarlijks onderzoek van de Universiteit Maastricht en Schorer. Via een online enquête onder mannen die seks hebben met mannen wordt onder andere hun seksuele gedrag in het voorafgaande jaar onderzocht. Zo worden ontwikkelingen in kaart gebracht die van belang zijn voor de preventie van hiv en soa bij deze groep. De resultaten worden op 14 november gepresenteerd.

pers: Hiv-positieve mannen doen het vaker zonder condoom
AMSTERDAM - Mannen die besmet zijn met het hiv-virus hebben vaker onbeschermde anale seks met andere mannen. Tweederde van de hiv-positieve mannen heeft seks met losse partners zonder condoom, blijkt woensdag uit een jaarlijks onderzoek van de Universiteit Maastricht en Schorer naar seksueel gedrag van homo's en biseksuele mannen.
Een jaar geleden deed 56 procent van hiv-positieve mannen aan onbeschermde seks. Een groot deel van de besmette mannen, 67 procent, zegt voorafgaand aan onbeschermde anale seks niets tegen zijn sekspartner over zijn hiv-status.
Mannen met hiv kiezen ook vaker voor onbeschermde seks dan andere mannen. Ze doen dit meer naarmate ze drugs gebruiken, darkrooms bezoeken of hun sekspartners via internet hebben gevonden. Onderzoek-Het onderzoek van Schorer en de Universiteit Maastricht is uitgevoerd onder bijna 3700 mannen. Van alle respondenten weet 7 procent dat hij hiv-positief is. Het percentage mannen dat een hiv-test heeft laten doen, steeg dit jaar van 60 naar 63 procent.
Voor Schorer zijn de uitkomsten van het onderzoek aanleiding de voorlichting gericht op hiv-positieve homo's en biseksuelen uit te breiden, onder andere via datingsites.
Openheid- De instelling adviseert mannen uitsluitend onbeschermde anale seks te hebben als beide partners hiv-positief zijn. Daarnaast gaat Schorer mannen met hiv stimuleren meer openheid over hun gezondheid te geven als zij seks hebben met losse partners.

Condooms te koop in gemeentehuis
Condooms in het gemeentehuis kopen. Als het aan gemeenteraadslid Rens Evers (Progressief Onderbanken) ligt, is dit straks mogelijk in Onderbanken.
Het negentienjarige raadslid vindt dat ik openbare en gemeentelijke gebouwen waar veel jongeren komen zogeheten ‘condomaten’ aan de muur moeten hangen. "Parkstad hoort thuis in de top van Nederland als het gaat om het aantal jongeren dat besmet is met een SOA", legt Evers uit. Het gemeentebestuur gaat de mogelijkheden hiertoe onderzoeken.

Anna Kournikova boyfriend, Enrique Iglesias, has been offered a cool $1million by Lifestyles to model their condoms.

The Latin Grammy Award- winning singer who has been dating former pro tennis player turned model, Anna Kournikova, stated in a recent interview, "I'd change my penis if I could. It's way, way, way too small. I can never find extra-small condoms." If Iglesias accepts the deal he will appear on Lifestyles Condoms packaging and have a chance to lobby company executives for them to produce condoms for the little guys. Guess size doesnot matter to Anna Kournikova...

7-11-07 www.femalefirst.uk writes:

ENRIQUE IGLESIAS NEEDS SMALL CONDOMS
Enrique Iglesias To Launch Range Of 'Small' Condoms
Pop heart-throb ENRIQUE IGLESIAS has hinted he's not the perfect lover, by revealing he wants to launch his own range of small condoms.
The Spanish singer enjoys a high profile relationship with tennis beauty ANNA KOURNIKOVA and is lusted after by female fans around the world. But they may be underwhelmed by his confession.
He says, "The next product I'm going to put my name on is extra-small condoms. I can never find extra-small condoms and I know it's really embarrassing for people."

24.8.2007 NYdaily news writes:

The folks at Lifestyles condoms want to help Enrique Iglesias. The singer has admitted to Esquire that because of his, um, under-endowment, "I can never find extra-small condoms." The latex company is offering Iglesias $1 million if he'll "model" their full-line of prophylatics - from the "Mega" to the "Snuggle Fit." A rep says: "It takes a real man to admit his shortcomings and if this Latin crooner can flaunt a fault and still keep [girlfriend] Anna Kournikova on his arm, other men are sure to … take pride in what they're not packin'." A speechless Iglesias' rep had no comment.

[ editor Condomerie: "they should have checked Condomerie's Trial packages.."]

http://www.condomerie.com/webshop/default.php?cPath=23

Langste condoom ter wereld, drie kilometer condooms in Boekarest.

Meer dan 1500 Roemenen hebben 25.700 condooms aan elkaar geknoopt voor een recordpoging. De stunt maakt deel uit van een campagne tegen aids.

De condooms vormen een lint van 3 kilometer lang door het centrum van Boekarest. "We zijn erg blij dat de mensen zo enthousiast hebben meegewerkt, ondanks de regen", verklaart een woordvoerder van de organisatie.

Bucharest hosts new Guinness record: the longest condom chain in the world
   
Romanian organization the PSI Foundation set up on Sunday the longest condoms chain in the world, which at 3,300 meters was registered as a new Guinness record. Through the initiative, the Foundation wants to gain the public attention upon the rapid spread of HIV Romanians.

On Sunday, starting with 12pm, on Bucharest's Unirii Boulevard, some 1500 youngsters, celebrities and active organizations fighting against the disease created the condom chain.

AMSTERDAM-
De condoomspeciaalzaak Condomerie verkoopt het polyurethaan vrouwencondoom,  Femidom geheten in nederland, sinds januari 1993. De presentatie trok indertijd veel aandacht en de verkoop begon veelbelovend. Die daalde – volgens statistieken van de Condomerie - echter al na drie weken aanzienlijk, een trend die zich ook landelijk voordeed. Volgens sommigen is het vrouwencondoom een mislukking gebleken. Anderen benadrukken dat het wellicht niet de markt volledig heeft veroverd, maar dat het er wel een belangrijk onderdeel van is geworden. Het product heeft voor veel gebruikers haar nut bewezen. Zij het hier en daar op andere manieren dan verwacht...

Vaginaal gebruik vrouwencondoom

Het condoom wordt bij de vrouw ingebracht, de man penetreert en na afloop wordt het condoom verwijderd en weggegooid. En dat is het dan, zou je kunnen zeggen. Niet onjuist, maar toch doe je dan dit condoom tekort. Zo kan het zogenoemde Femidom (het polyurethaan vrouwencondoom van Chartex en Female Health Company) al acht uur van tevoren worden ingebracht. Geen onderbreking van het liefdesspel dus. Bovendien is het bestand tegen massageolie, is het dun en geurloos en is de kans op een allergische reactie minimaal. Allemaal positieve eigenschappen die het voor heeft op het latex mannencondoom.
Tegenstanders zullen zeggen: het ruikt misschien nergens naar, maar het maakt des te meer lawaai! En het ziet er vreemd uit, zo’n plastic ring over de schaamlippen. En het materiaal mag dan snel lichaamswarmte aannemen, het blijft voor de man toch alsof hij met een plastic zakje vrijt.
Het vrouwencondoom is niet voor iedereen je van het. Maar voor de mannen die echt geen condoom kunnen vinden met de juiste maat, is het een uitkomst. En voor de mannen die problemen hebben met de combinatie “erectie behouden en condoomgebruik” kan het ook een verademing zijn. En dan zijn er nog de stellen die de verantwoordelijkheid willen delen: wie draagt het condoom vandaag?

Anaal gebruik vrouwencondoom

De naam zegt het al: het is een condoom voor vrouwen. Vrouwen hebben ook anaal contact. Kan het vrouwencondoom daar, net als het reguliere condoom, ook voor gebruikt worden? In de Condomerie hebben we nog nooit een vrouw gehad die daar naar vroeg. Misschien ook de reden dat het condoom echt voor vaginaal contact in de markt gezet wordt. En commercieel blijft het lastig in veel landen: een nieuw product koppel je niet graag aan de notie “anaal contact”.
Het was een homoman die ons als eerste (zomer 1993 al!) wees op de anale mogelijkheden. Er is zowel theoretisch als ervaringsonderzoek gedaan. Een theoretische achtergrond is te vinden in: ‘Smearing the Queer, Medical bias in the health care of gay men’ van Michael Scarce.
De ervaringen horen wij regelmatig aan de balie: mannen die erg blij zijn met het polyurethaan vrouwencondoom tijdens anaal contact. Het is sterk, bestand tegen vetten (Crisco bijvoorbeeld), het glijdt niet af en is vooraf in te brengen. Bovendien legt het een beschermend laagje tegen de huid van de toch al kwetsbare ontvanger.

Er is geen vrouwencondoom dat officieel geschikt is verklaard voor anaal contact. Daarom zullen we het ook niet actief als zodanig promoten. Wel zullen we mensen die bij reguliere condooms op problemen stuiten wijzen op de mogelijkheden en verwijzen naar internet. Hier is een uitgebreide gebruiksaanwijzing voor anaal contact te vinden. Met en zonder gebruik van de kleine binnenring. Probeer het uit en trek uw eigen conclusie is ons advies. Een advies waar we goed over nagedacht hebben overigens. Inzet is het voorkomen van het uitwisselen van lichaamsvocht, het is onbelangrijk of daar het stempel “mannen”- of “vrouwen”condoom op zit.

Hergebruik vrouwencondoom

Zo heel af en toe krijgen wij in de winkel de vraag of Femidom hergebruikt kan worden. Meestal is het grappig bedoeld. Toch kunnen we deze vraag al bijna bevestigend beantwoorden. Bij de introductie eind 1992 vermoedden de mensen van de Condomerie al dat het mogelijk zou zijn, maar de tijd leek niet rijp om daar aandacht aan te besteden. Een ander punt dat wel al snel speelde was de prijs: destijds al 12,95 gulden per drie. Nu nog steeds 5,45 euro per 3 stuks pakje. [ in november 2007 hebben we de consumentenprijs kunnen verlagen naar € 5,15 ] De Westerse vrouw stapt daar al moeilijk overheen (al is een pakje sigaretten duurder), maar klanten in minder bedeelde gebieden als Afrika en India hebben daar uiteraard nog meer moeite mee. En ook voor de NGO’s zijn de kosten wel erg hoog ondanks de bulkkortingen. Terwijl juist in die landen het vrouwencondoom zo’n welkome aanvulling kan zijn: het polyurethaan is bestand tegen hitte, vergaat nauwelijks en de vrouw kan het zelf inbrengen.
Toen de voordelen van het vrouwencondoom in ontwikkelingslanden duidelijk werden, gingen er ook stemmen op om de mogelijkheden van hergebruik te onderzoeken. In 2002 is daar een poging toe gedaan. Dit resulteerde in een “draft protocol” voor hergebruik van Femidom van de Wereld Gezondheids Organisatie. Geen kant en klare aanbeveling voor hergebruik stelt de WHO voorzichtig, wel een hergebruikprotocol dat uitnodigt tot verder onderzoek. Dit protocol is nog enigszins omstreden omdat er is gekozen voor een aanpak met desinfectie dat het protocol nogal arbeidsintensief maakt. Er is ook een kamp van veldwerkers dat al heel blij is met risicoreductie en pleit voor een handzamere gebruiksaanwijzing, waarbij bijvoorbeeld gewoon water en zeep gebruikt kan worden in plaats van bleekwater (natriumhypochloriet).
Om dat verdere onderzoek dan ook te stimuleren, heeft de Condomerie in samenwerking met Youth Incentives van Rutgers Nisso Groep een uitdeel- en bewaarmapje voor het vrouwencondoom ontwikkeld. In dit mapje zit een Femidom, een gebruiksaanwijzing in verschillende talen en een kopie van het WHO-hergebruikprotocol.

Hier moet overigens aan toegevoegd worden dat hergebruik van het Femidom al voorkomt. Hergebruik van condooms is überhaupt niet nieuw: ook het condoom van schapendarm werd na gebruik uitgewassen, in de glycerine gezet en tot zeven keer opnieuw gebruikt (dit condoom beschermt overigens alleen tegen zwangerschap). Een oud-leraar en bordeelhouder leerde ons dat gewone latex condooms in de arme naoorlogse jaren ‘40 tot wel 60 keer werden hergebruikt. Over de sterkte van het praktisch onafbreekbare polyurethaan maken we ons dan ook geen zorgen.
Hergebruik past ook nu volledig in de “cradle to cradle” filosofie van Mc Donough & Braungart. Zij bepleiten een nieuwe manier van produceren: maak producten die na gebruik weer hergebruikt kunnen worden of opgesplitst in componenten die weer een nieuwe bestemming kunnen krijgen.

Andere vrouwencondooms

Hergebruik is niet de enige manier om de kosten van het vrouwencondoom te drukken. Een andere productiemethode en een ander materiaal zijn natuurlijk ook een optie.
Een latex versie van het vrouwencondoom bestaat ook. Voordeel is dat het minder geluid maakt dan polyurethaan. Jammer is dat het materiaal sneller veroudert in een warme omgeving (net als gewone condooms), in veel ontwikkelingslanden een nadelige eigenschap. De Condomerie heeft het condoom een tijd verkocht als alternatief voor het Femidom, maar klanten stapten niet over. De voordelen waren blijkbaar niet groot genoeg.
De Female Health Company heeft een nieuwe goedkopere Femidom op de markt gebracht. Speciaal voor distributie op grotere schaal: de FC2. De vraag is nu of het WHO-hergebruikprotocol ook van toepassing is op dit condoom van synthetisch nitriel (en dus niet het oorspronkelijke polyurethaan).
De Amerikaanse non profit organisatie Path is bezig met het ontwikkelen en op de markt brengen van een heel nieuw vrouwencondoom. Opzet: gemakkelijker in gebruik en goedkoper te produceren.
Verder zijn er nog initiatieven die neer komen op bikinibroekjes met een geïntegreerd condoom. In Europa nog niet op de markt, al hebben we wel een exemplaar in de collectie.

auteur:  Kalja van der Linden - Condomerie -

datum eerste publicatie:   SOAAIDSMAGAZINE  Jaargang 4, nummer 2 - mei 2007 

bekijk onze instructievideo vrouwencondoom hier www.condomerie.com/condooms/femidominstructie.php

[ watch the Condomerie video for instructions of use Female Condom ]

The female condom has never caught on in the United States. But in the third world, where it was introduced in the late 1990s, public health workers hoped it would overthrow the politics of the bedroom, empower women and stop the AIDS epidemic in its tracks.

It did not. Female condoms never really caught on there, either.

Only about 12 million female condoms are delivered each year in poor countries, compared with about 6 billion male condoms. Couples complained that the female version was awkward, unsightly, noisy and slippery -- or, as Mitchell Warren, who was one of its earliest champions, now says, ''the yuck factor was a problem.'' Many women tried it, but in the end, it was adopted mainly by prostitutes.

Now scientists are trying again. A new design -- much the same at one end, different at the other -- has been developed, and its makers hope it will succeed where its predecessor failed.

''Over 15 years, there's been no real competition, no second-generation product,'' said Michael J. Free, head of technology at PATH, a nonprofit group based in Seattle that did the redesign. ''There's no lack of interest, but we've been stalled.''

However, the new design does not overcome the glaring drawback that doomed the first to be a niche product: it cannot be used secretly. For that reason, married women, now one of the highest risk groups for AIDS in poor countries, rarely use it.

''I don't want my husband to know that I am wearing a condom,'' said Lois B. Chingandu, the director of SAfaids, an anti-AIDS organization in Zimbabwe.

''Condoms are almost undiscussable within a marriage'' in Africa, she added. ''It is something associated with casual sex. If a wife uses a condom, the message is that you have been unfaithful. If she even initiates the discussion, it tips the power scale. Men resist quite a lot, and it can result in violence.''

But for couples who have agreed on condoms, and for sex workers whose clients cooperate, the new design has several advantages.

The redesigned female condom is made of softer, thinner polyurethane to better transmit warmth. It is easier to insert; one end is bunched up as small as a tampon, an improvement on the old design, which resembled the stiff rubber ring of a diaphragm and had to be folded into a figure 8 for insertion.

During sex, the new female condom also moves more like a vagina than the old design did, according to couples in Seattle, Thailand, Mexico and South Africa who tested a series of prototypes, said Joanie Robertson, project manager for the condom at PATH. The old design hung passively from the rubber ring, which could shift around and sometimes hurt; the new design has dots of adhesive foam that adhere to the vaginal walls, expanding with them during arousal.

According to PATH, more than 90 percent of the couples were satisfied with the ease of use and comfort of the new condom, and 98 percent found the sensation of sex to be ''O.K. to very satisfactory.''

Nonetheless, progress is now stalled.

PATH is seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration so the condom can be sold in the United States. And with the drug agency's approval, it would be much easier to license the condom in poor countries or get a World Health Organization endorsement.

While the F.D.A. designates male condoms as Class 2 medical devices -- meaning that a new maker has to pass tests only for leakage and bursting -- it puts female condoms in Class 3, the same category as pacemakers, heart valves and silicone breast implants.

That decision was made in 1999 -- after much debate, and well after the condom was in use overseas -- because there was no clinical data on the effectiveness of female condoms, and failure could be life-threatening if the woman's partner had AIDS. An advisory panel suggested not even calling it a ''condom'' and instead labeled it an ''intravaginal pouch,'' but the agency rejected that advice.

Names notwithstanding, the Class 3 listing means that any new design must pass clinical trials, which would cost $3 million to $6 million.

''That's a huge, huge impediment, close to a 100 percent block, because no one's willing to put up that sort of money,'' Dr. Free said.

The United States Agency for International Development, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lemelson Foundation and others paid for design costs and prototypes, but they are not willing to pay for clinical trials and the cost of building a factory. Private investors have also balked because the American and European markets for the original design proved smaller than had been predicted.

The failure of the original design -- made by the Female Health Company of Chicago and marketed worldwide under names like Femidom, Female Condom, FC1, Reality, Dominique, Femy and Protectiv -- is still galling to AIDS experts.

''Their use has remained frustratingly and tragically low,'' said Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAids, the United Nations AIDS agency.

In the 1990s, Mr. Warren, former director of international affairs for the Female Health Company, visited 24 countries trying to get the female condom accepted. Brazil, South Africa and Zimbabwe were the most receptive, said Mr. Warren, who now works on AIDS vaccines.

''It had some elements of success,'' he said, ''but hasn't had the blockbuster numbers the company had hoped for.''

But, as Ms. Chingandu noted, even in Zimbabwe, after an initial flurry of excitement from women, the condom settled into a niche: a tool of the sex trade.

Whether the condom did well or poorly in a particular country, Mr. Warren said, was determined mostly by how it was introduced. Brazil's rollout order was for one million. Bangladesh, by contrast, tried to start with only 20,000. And Uganda bought one million but then did little marketing and no training in how to use it.

''People said, 'Oh, it failed,''' he said. ''Well, it didn't fail. It just wasn't available, or its introduction was a bad program. People need to practice with it before it catches on.''

He called the new design ''a better mousetrap'' but said it still faced another problem it shares with the original: it is expensive compared with male condoms.

While those are made by simply dipping molds in latex, the female one uses complex thin-film polyurethane. The most closely related technology is that used for blood bags, so PATH is visiting companies that make them.

But as Ms. Robertson noted, companies that make blood bags have little expertise in marketing sexual products.

Source: The New York Times / Author: DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

Project CARES - Condom Accessibility and Responsibility for Every Student, an on-campus research study of student sexual health - will launch this spring under the direction of Ben Colburn '10. Student participants will receive 42 condoms in their mailboxes over the span of three months and will take two online surveys to provide information on student sexual health and the University's current condom distribution system. The project's goal is to determine the most effective way to encourage safe sex on campus.

The lack of information on safe sex among college students is alarming, Colburn said. Nationally, adolescents ages 18-25 report an average condom usage rate of 50 percent, according to Colburn and Naomi Ninneman, a University health educator specializing in sexual education. They said, however, such statistics generally do not exist specifically for college campuses.

Colburn said his previous research with the Global Alliance to Immunize Against AIDS - a local NGO that also has an on-campus branch to promote HIV awareness - has suggested that Brown students are not fully aware of the most effective means of safe sex. He said he noticed a lot of anxiety at an on-campus AIDS testing he attended last year.

"I heard a lot of interest in people wanting to know their (infection) status," Colburn said. "They felt they were safe because they were in the Brown bubble, but also saying, 'I think I may have been doing something that might put me at risk.' "

Curiosity piqued, Colburn administered a survey on the next test date to explore students' perceptions of safe sex, HIV transmission and general sexual activity. His sample of 61 participants was not statistically significant, he said, but the data hinted at practices of unsafe sex on campus. Most survey participants were able to identify high-risk sexual activities, but confusion existed over which body fluids transmitted HIV. Participants also reported a condom usage rate on par with the national average of 50 percent for people ages 18 to 25.

Colburn is now taking his preliminary research to the next level with his official on-campus study, Project CARES. The group consists of Colburn, seven friends and three mentors: Ken Mayer, a professor of medicine who also works at the Fenway Institute in Boston; Cynthia Rosengard, a sexual health specialist at Lifespan and Rhode Island Hospital; and Matthew Mimiaga, a biostatistician and post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Project CARES is funded by Youth Venture, a group that invests in socially conscious youth start-ups, and GAIA.

Designed to learn more about men's attitudes and behaviors surrounding safer sex, Project CARES targets biologically male Brown undergraduates. Though they would like to include males and females, Colburn's small, low-budget study could not handle the necessary 204 members of each sex needed to make his research statistically significant, he said. Literature suggested the study would have more impact with males as the target group, according to Colburn.

Additional requirements include that participants be between the ages of 18 and 25 and will be on campus for the spring semester. Colburn said he prefers subjects be sexually active.

"If you have tons of sex without condoms because your girlfriend is on the pill, that's fine," Colburn said. "We just want to get baseline information to see what the general sexual health is for Brown."

To accomplish this, Colburn plans to administer a series of online surveys. Participants will complete the first questionnaire during the last week of January and will then receive seven condoms in their mailbox every two weeks for three months. At the end of May, they will complete another survey to determine any changes in sexual activity.

The study's success depends largely on its participants, said Colburn, who so far has gathered about 17 subjects through table slips, advertisements in The Herald and on Facebook, talking to fraternities and word of mouth. He said he hopes an incentive program offering free tea, coffee, barbecues and gift certificates to Miko's Exotic Wear will encourage students to recruit their friends.

read more.........click here

Stijvere penis door speciaal condoom
Mannen met erectieproblemen bij condoomgebruik hebben vanaf volgend jaar een excuus minder om onveilig te vrijen. Een Engelse condoomfabrikant heeft een condoom ontwikkeld met een gel erin, waardoor de penis stijver blijft dan met gewone condooms. Het condoom dat nu nog CSD500 wordt genoemd is in de top voorzien van een gel genaamd 'Zanifil'. Het actieve bestandsdeel in de gel (glyceryl trinitraat, GTN) wordt opgenomen door de penis en zorgt voor een betere doorbloeding in de penis. Een betere bloedtoevoer zorgt ervoor dat een erectie steviger en groter zal zijn, én dat deze langer in stand blijft.

Uit onderzoek onder 108 koppels blijkt dat CSD500, zoals het condoom heet, mannen helpt een grotere erectie te krijgen dan met een normaal condoom. De seks duurt ook gemiddeld langer. Een kleine hoeveelheid gel in het puntje van het condoom verwijdt de bloedvaten en vergroot de bloedtoevoer naar de penis.

“49 procent van de mensen die op dit moment geen condoom gebruiken, zeggen geïnteresseerd te zijn in dit product omdat het ze kan helpen om hun erectie te houden”, zegt James Barder, directeur van Futura Medical, het bedrijf dat het condoom bedacht heeft.

Het bedrijf verwacht later dit jaar goedkeuring van de Europese Unie voor de verkoop van het condoom te krijgen. Als het meezit wordt het condoom volgend jaar door Durex op de markt gebracht. Bij Durex is de Durex Performa al langer bekend. Aan dit Performa condoom is een kleine hoeveelheid benzocaine toegevoegd, wat het gevoel van de eikel een beetje verdooft. Hierdoor kan het hoogtepunt makkelijker worden uitgesteld.


Op 9 augustus 2007 werd bekend gemaakt dat een studie naar de effectiviteit van de CSD500 condooms succesvol is afgerond. De studie werd uitgevoerd met 108 gezonde partners waarvan de man wel eens last heeft van (gedeeltelijk) verlies van de erectie bij het gebruik van normale condooms.
De studie beantwoordde aan de primaire doelstelling waarbij werd aangetoond dat ze bij het gebruik van CSD500 condooms een stevigere erectie hadden dan bij het gebruik van normale condooms.
De secundaire doelstelling werd ook positief beantwoord: de mannen verkregen door de CSD500 condooms met Zanifil een grotere erectie en hielden deze langer vol, zodat daarmee het liefdesspel kon worden verlengd.

Het bedrijf wil het condoom in Europa laten classificeren als een klasse III medisch hulpmiddel met een ondersteunend geneesmiddel. Dit betekent dat het dan mag worden verkocht aan consumenten onder dezelfde wettelijke regelgeving als gelden voor normale normale condooms (zie CE-markering).

James Barder, directeur  Futura Medical is  tevreden met de positieve testresultaten en is overtuigd van het succes van CSD500 condooms zodra deze naar verwachting in 2008 op de markt worden gebracht. Het bedrijf heeft reeds patenten in Europa, de USA en Canada en werkt nog aan uitbreiding ervan.

Enquete heeft aangetoond dat 80% van de mannen die regelmatig condooms gebruiken het nieuwe condoom willen proberen, en dat 49% van mannen die geen condooms gebruiken  wel interesse hebben in het condoom als hen dat aan een betere erectie helpt.

Wereldwijd worden jaarlijks ongeveer 14 biljoen condooms gefabriceerd. De helft wordt verkocht, de andere helft wordt gedistibuteerd naar ontwikkelingslanden.

De GGD regio Twente gaat woensdag 14 november beginnen met een actie waarbij ze fietsenhangers met een condoom er in ophangen aan fietsen.Fietsers in Twente kunnen vanaf woensdag een verassing aan hun tweewieler vinden: een condoom. Het condoom is verpakt in een speciale condoomhanger.
Leerlingen van verschillende HBO en MBO-onderwijsinstellingen in Twente zullen binnenkort zo'n condoomhanger aan hun fiets vinden. De GGD hoopt zo jongeren aan te sporen meer na te denken over veilige seks en het gebruik van condooms.De fietshanger-actie sluit aan bij de Vrij Veilig Campagne ‘Verneuk je nieuwe relatie niet met een oude soa’ van Soaaids Nederland

'Fietshangeractie' Veilig Vrijen van start
De GGD Regio Twente gaat binnenkort fietshangers ophangen aan fietsen op verschillende HBO en MBO-onderwijsinstellingen in Twente. Deze fietshanger bevat een condoom. Hiermee hoopt de GGD Regio Twente een aanzet te geven om jongeren over condoomgebruik na te laten denken.

In week 46 zullen een groot aantal leerlingen van de UT, Saxion, AKI en het conservatorium zogenoemde fietshangers met condoom vinden aan hun fiets. De GGD Regio Twente vindt het belangrijk jongeren te informeren over veilig vrijen en de risico’s van onveilig vrijen. Daarnaast hoopt de GGD Regio Twente jongeren een aanzet te geven over condoomgebruik na te denken.

Onveilige seks
Het kan zijn dat jongeren onveilige seks (dus zonder condoom) met verschillende partners hebben gehad. Hierdoor is het mogelijk dat zij een soa (seksueel overdraagbare aandoening), oftewel een geslachtsziekte, hebben opgelopen. Wanneer er vaker onveilig is gevreeën, is het verstandig om een soa-test te laten doen. Bij de GGD Regio Twente kunnen jongeren zich gratis en anoniem laten testen op soa en HIV. Voor meer informatie over de spreekuren zie de site van de GGD Regio Twente.
Landelijke campagne
De fietshanger-actie sluit aan bij de Vrij Veilig Campagne ‘Verneuk je nieuwe relatie niet met een oude soa’ van Soaaids Nederland. Deze campagne is momenteel te zien op de landelijke tv en roept jongeren op in een nieuwe relatie condoomgebruik vol te houden totdat beide getest zijn op soa. Zijn beiden soa-vrij? Dan kunnen zij samen veilig vrijen zonder condoom. Meer weten over veilig vrijen of over de landelijke Vrij Veilig Campagne? Kijk dan op de site van vrijsoavrij.

Gevaar door gerecyclede condooms
13 november 2007 [ met dank aan elke  ]
PEKING - De volksgezondheid in Zuid-China wordt bedreigd door condooms die worden gerecycled als haarband. Daardoor worden seksueel overdraagbare ziektes verspreid die condooms juist moeten voorkomen.
Dat meldde de krant China Daily dinsdag. Vrouwen en meisjes die de goedkope haarbanden gebruiken en wellicht in de mond nemen terwijl zij 's ochtends hun haar opsteken, kunnen geïnfecteerd raken met genitale wratten en andere ziektes, aldus een dermatoloog. Volgens een regeringsfunctionaris is het illegaal om condooms te recyclen.

[ editor Condomerie: u kunt meer lezen over gerecycelde tweedehands condooms in de 18de eeuw  in bijv. Londen en Amsterdam in het verhaal 'Geschiedenis van het condoom' op onze site. ]

[ editor Condomerie: A very interesting topic is the Re-use options sometimes for the non-latex polyurethane Female Condoms, please check the WHO site. WHO information update: Considerations regarding Reuse of the Female Condom (July 2002) http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/stis/reuse.en.html

For more support you can contact: Jan Marinus WIERSMA
Email janmarinus.wiersma@europarl.europa.eu

EU MPs launch Facebook campaign to reduce tax rate on condoms
13-11-2007

Members of the European Parliament have launched a campaign on the social networking web site 'Facebook' to cut tax rates on condoms in an effort to curb increasing HIV and AIDS rates in Europe.
Hundreds of Facebook users already have joined the group, "Cut AIDS, Cut VAT on Condoms," to show their support for the campaign. The group plans to present a petition to government ministers ahead of World AIDS Day.
In the European Union (EU), value added tax rates vary. Ireland has a 21 per cent VAT rate on condoms, which is the highest in the European Union. The United Kingdom last year reduced VAT on condoms from 17.5 per cent to 5 per cent.
There were 26,984 new HIV cases in the European Union in 2005.  IPPF news.

08/11/2007 - Une pétition en ligne pour un abattement de la TVA sur les préservatifs.
Une pétition en ligne, dévoilée ce 8 novembre, presse les gouvernements européens de baisser la TVA sur les préservatifs afin d’enrayer l’augmentation des cas de sida en Europe.

Le Groupe socialiste du Parlement européen soumettra cette pétition aux ministres dans la perspective de la Journée mondiale contre le sida, fixée au 1 er décembre prochain. Des centaines d’utilisateurs de Facebook se sont empressés de constituer un groupe sur le célèbre site web de réseau social pour appuyer la campagne sous le slogan : « moins de sida, moins de TVA sur les préservatifs ».

En Europe, la TVA la plus élevée se situe en Suède et au Danemark avec un taux de 25%. Les vingt-sept pays membres sont libres de fixer eux-mêmes leur propre niveau d’imposition sur les préservatifs sans toutefois descendre en-deçà de 5%, seule condition requise par le droit européen.

Le vice-président du Groupe socialiste, Jan Marinus Wiersma, parrain de cette campagne inaugurée sur le site www.socialistgroup.eu, a indiqué :

« Le sida ne concerne pas seulement les pays en développement ou des groupes sociaux particuliers. L’Organisation mondiale de la santé assure que les nouveaux cas de sida augmentent dans la zone européenne. Dans l’Union européenne, seule, 26.984 nouveaux cas ont été diagnostiqués en 2005. La maladie se transmet essentiellement par le mode hétérosexuel ».

« Abaisser la TVA sur les préservatifs jusqu’au taux le plus bas serait à la fois un moyen concret de lutter contre le sida et un geste symbolique puissant en vue de la Journée mondiale contre le sida ».

« Le pouvoir populaire peut inciter les gouvernements à agir. Nous exhortons les gens, de par l’Europe, à prendre quelques minutes de leur temps pour signer cette pétition en ligne et rejoindre notre groupe au Facebook ».

Surfez sur www.socialistgroup.eu pour lire et signer la pétition  http://www.socialistgroup.eu/gpes/petition.do?lg=fr

Tken hier de petitie http://www.wiersma.pvda.nl/nieuwsbericht/397

7/12/2006 in the UK-ENGLAND
VAT cut on condoms 'Should boost UK's sexual health'

VAT on condoms and other contraceptive products is to be reduced from 17.5% to 5% from tomorrow.

Retail chemists plan to reduce the price of a packet of three condoms by around 30p and - pending reductions in the prices charged at vending machines - the vendors will increase their supply of free condoms to sexual health charities and other bodies.
The decision was announced in the March Budget by Chancellor Gordon Brown. The government decided to reduce the VAT on condoms as one of a range of measures to improve the nation's sexual health and prevent sexually-transmitted infections, following discussions with retail chemists and sexual health charities.
Department of Health research has shown that the three most important factors to consumers when purchasing condoms are price, product accessibility and safety - with price singled out as the most important factor by groups at the highest risk of contracting STIs.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said: "With this reduction in VAT on condoms, safe sex has never been cheaper. We in government are doing what we can through record investment in sexual health services, but everyone has a responsibility to look after themselves and others too."

Baroness Joyce Gould, Chair of the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, said: "We unreservedly welcome the reduction in VAT on condoms as a very sensible step to help combat the epidemic of STIs in this country. This is a measure that will benefit all members of the public who are keen to protect themselves against some of the dangers of unprotected sex like STIs and teenage pregnancy."
(KMcA/GB)
June 30th 2006

Recycled Condoms now Hairties & Rubberbands!
  
Used condoms that have been reprocessed into rubber bands and hair ties have been sold in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, raising concerns about public health.

In addition to being sold at local bazaars, the recycled condoms have been found at local beauty salons in the prosperous Pearl River Delta city, according to Guangzhou-based New Express Daily.
"These cheap and colorful rubber bands and hair ties sell well in the city, threatening the health of local people and tourists," the paper said.
Local doctors have warned that using these rubber bands could lead to the spread of AIDS, genital warts and other sexually transmitted diseases.
"There are a lot of bacteria and viruses on the rubber bands and hair ties made from used condoms," a dermatologist at the Guangzhou Hospital of Armed Police, who asked to be identified by his surname Dong, said.
"People could be infected with AIDS, warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while weaving their hair into plaits or buns," Dong was quoted as saying by the paper.
Chen Wenlan, a resident of Dongguan, said she was disgusted when she discovered that the rubber bands a local beauty salon had given her last week were made of recycled condoms.
Chen, a local white-collar worker, is a frequent customer of local beauty salons.
"Many of my friends have not yet heard the news. And it is really terrible," Chen said.
A bag of 10 recycled hair ties costs only 25 fen [  2 eurocent / 3 usdollarcent ] at local markets, which is much less than the normal rate for such products, the paper said. [ editor   Condomerie 25 fen = 0,25 yuan. 1 Yuan = ±  0.09 EUR >   25 Fen=0,25 Yuan= ± 0,02 EUR > 1 recycled hairtie= 0,002 EUR! ]
Many sellers have refused to reveal where they got their products and whether they had been made from recycled condoms, saying it was commercial secret.
But insiders said some of the rubber bands and hair ties could have been made from imported overseas rubbish. Local entertainment venues were also said to have contributed condoms.
The recycled goods have also been found in bazaars in Guangzhou's Baiyun and Panyu districts, according to New Express Daily.
An official from the Guangzhou administration of industry and commerce said it was against the law to make or sell goods made from used condoms.
The administration will punish those who have broken the rules.
(China Daily November 13, 2007)  [ editor Condomerie: you can read more about proper use of recycled condoms in the 18th century in London and Amsterdam in the story ' History of the Condom' on our website. ]

Photo   Clothing decorated with condoms seen at the 4th China Reproductive Health New Technologies and Products Expo in Beijing. Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China, threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent

Gevaar door gerecyclede condooms
13 november 2007 [ met dank aan elke en nu ]
PEKING - De volksgezondheid in Zuid-China wordt bedreigd door condooms die worden gerecycled als haarband. Daardoor worden seksueel overdraagbare ziektes verspreid die condooms juist moeten voorkomen.
Dat meldde de krant China Daily dinsdag. Vrouwen en meisjes die de goedkope haarbanden gebruiken en wellicht in de mond nemen terwijl zij 's ochtends hun haar opsteken, kunnen geïnfecteerd raken met genitale wratten en andere ziektes, aldus een dermatoloog.
Volgens een regeringsfunctionaris is het illegaal om condooms te recyclen. 

[ editor Condomerie: u kunt meer lezen over gerecycelde tweedehands condooms in de 18de eeuw  in bijv. Londen en Amsterdam in het verhaal 'Geschiedenis van het condoom' op onze site. ]

Satish Kaushik packs safe sex lesson in his film Tere Sang
India packs safe sex lesson in a new Bollywood film.
MUMBA - After handling mature themes like marital blues and surrogate motherhood, Bollywood is making a film on teenage pregnancy, a sign that more serious scripts are becoming popular with viewers.
"Tere Sang" (With You), to be directed by Satish Kaushik, aims to inform viewers about unsafe sex and raise the issue of providing sex education, especially to Indian youth.
Sex education in largely conservative India is a moral flashpoint, with educators saying such knowledge will reduce HIV rates and critics fearing it will corrupt young minds.
"It tells the viewers how a romance between a 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl takes a dramatic turn when the girl accidentally becomes pregnant," said Kaushik. "Many teenagers today are into unprotected sex and I wanted to reach out to them and tell them how and why they should be careful with their lives."
 (Hindustan Times/Reuters )

Sadhana Singh's daughter set for debut in Tere Sang
Mumbai, Remember Sadhana Singh who created a storm in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as the leading lady in Rajshri Production's 'Nadiya Ke Paar'? Her daughter Sheena is now set to make her debut with 'Tere Sang'. Sheena stepped into the film after director Satish Kaushik's original choice Yamini Sharma had to be dropped. The film is a joint production by Anupam Kher and Kaushik. 'If you remember, I had selected Yamini in Chandigarh after seeing her at a protest on television. But she turned out to be wrong for the role. My film 'Tere Sang' required two very innocent people. That's when Sheena came into the picture,' Satish told IANS. She is going to be paired with newcomer Ruslaan, son of yesteryears TV star Anjana Mumtaz. Ruslaan made his debut in the recently released 'Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar' (MP3). 'Both the youngsters have it in their genes. Though Ruslaan already has one release, he and Sheena will never look like a tried pair.' By Subhash K. Jha Jun 17, 2007

HIV-POSITIVE AFRICAN CLERGY URGE HIV TESTING

Publicizing HIV Status To Fight Stigma

A group of HIV-positive African clergy members is urging people to undergo HIV testing and make their HIV status public in order to help fight the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS on the continent.

The African Network for Religious Leaders Living With or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS (ANERELA), which was established in 2002 to encourage openness about HIV/AIDS, recently held a conference in Nairobi, Kenya, to allow clergy to share their experiences of HIV/AIDS-related discrimination and use their influence to fight the spread of the virus.

"HIV is a virus, it's not a moral condition," Father Jape Heath, an Anglican Vicar and a senior official with ANERELA, said, adding, "What we're encouraging people to do is to know their HIV status and to know there's no concept of sin attached to HIV."

Zambian Muslim Cleric, Sheikh Ali Banda, said a lack of education about HIV/AIDS and many cultural practices put people at risk of contracting the virus:

"As religious leaders, we should understand that it's not a curse, not everyone that is HIV-positive is promiscuous, not everyone who is HIV-positive is sexually immoral," Banda said. About 25 million HIV-positive people live in Africa.

Kaiser Network 24/Jun/05

Launch of INERELA+
Positive interfaith in Action
2007-01-31

Prior to the year 2000 there were only two religious leaders living openly as HIV+ on the African Continent; the one was Ds Christo Greyling , a Dutch Reformed minister living and working in South Africa; the other, Revd. Gideon Byamugisha, an Anglican Priest from Uganda. Both were working independently of the other, desperately trying to make some inroads into the reality of HIV and AIDS that was not so slowly tearing the heart out of Africa. In response to a call from the Primates of the Anglican Communion in April 2001 Archbishop Ngongonkulu Ndungane of South Africa drew together Anglicans from across Africa for an August meeting held in Boksburg in South Africa – “The All African Anglican Consultation on HIV and AIDS”.

 

What the Archbishop could not possibly have known was that as a direct result of that meeting three Anglican priests got together: Revd. Gideon Byamugisha, who spoke at the opening ceremony about being a priest living openly with HIV; Revd. Francis Karemera, a Rwandan priest who lost his wife to AIDS-related illnesses on their wedding night; and Revd. Japé Heath, a priest in the diocese of Johannesburg. At that meeting, dreams were dreamed of just having one retreat for priests and pastors across the African continent who were living with HIV. That simple dream has grown into so much more! Instead of having just one retreat a network of support was formed in November 2002 not only for Christians but for religious leaders of all faiths.

 

How is it possible that we are speaking about religious leaders being HIV positive? I remember speaking to an Anglican in Durban at one stage where she was saying that in their parish they absolutely insisted on having an unmarried priest – why? – because they could not cope with the fact that the night before saying mass “Father” might have been lying in bed having sex with his wife! While many may find this a really strange way of looking at the priesthood it is never the less true that religious leaders are seen as bastions of moral living. Where HIV and AIDS are regarded as synonymous with immorality, it is virtually impossible for religious leaders living with HIV to be open about their HIV status. Remarkably, ANERELA+ not only targets religious leaders living with HIV, but seeks to empower them to live openly with their HIV status. In this, common understandings about HIV are challenged and we can finally move to a position in which we will simply be able to say; “HIV is a virus – not a moral condition!”

 

The past four years have been filled with building capacity, giving hope, initiating country-based networks, kick-starting congregational responses, developing messages and engaging in massive advocacy work. From a network which was run on a part time basis from a church house in one of the less desirable suburbs of Johannesburg, ANERELA+ has grown to a continental support structure with eleven country-based networks, and more than 1600 members from the Christian, Muslim, Baha’i, Hindu and African Indigenous religions. ANERELA+ currently receives funds from faith-related charities like Christian AID, ICCO, Church of Sweden, NCA and Bread for the World as well as Government-based agencies like SIDA and USAID. In addition to this, regional NGOs like Southern African AIDS Trust (SAT) also support the work of ANERELA+. We have partnered closely with World Council of Churches (WCC), Churches United Against HIV and AIDS in Africa (CUAHA), Tearfund, World Vision, Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) and worked closely with both GNP+ (Global Network of People living with AIDS) and ICW (International Community of Women living with HIV and AIDS).

 

Why has ANERELA+ been able to generate this level of interest and funding? There are many answers to this question, but probably the two most pertinent are firstly that there has NEVER before been anything like ANERELA+ and secondly that ANERELA+ is a network filled with the most amazing people, people who have embraced positive living to such a remarkable extent that their messages of hope go far beyond HIV and AIDS. Faith communities have traditionally been somewhat reticent to embrace on an equal footing people living with HIV. Much of this has flowed from the initial moralisation of the pandemic by which people living with HIV were judged to be sexual sinners. “AIDS is God’s punishment for sin” has been the mantra bandied about mercilessly for more than two decades. Into this environment which in and of itself caused so much stigma, discrimination and pain, stepped ANERELA+ which is a network of the very people who were giving negative messages but who now preach inclusion, acceptance, hope and above all God’s unfailing and never-ending love. This unique approach has signalled a turnaround within the faith community.

 

Many wonderful people have over the past few years joined ANERELA+. Positive stories of religious leaders who have changed from walking corpses to heralds of hope have been recorded. Every year for the past few years as we approached World AIDS Day requests for speakers have flooded in from all over the world. The more remarkable thing is that the pool of people we can call on to fill these slots is ever-growing and with it the messages of hope going far and wide in a world that seems filled with too much despair. The genesis of this unique network has been different in one other way – today people from across the globe are looking to Africa as part of the solution when it comes to HIV and AIDS, not only seeing us as the ones who need to be guided, helped and supported. ANERELA+ has now formally launched “INERELA+” (International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally affected by HIV and AIDS). In the years to come this light which first burned on African soil will spread across the world to bring hope to people living with HIV. HIV is something you can live with, NOT something you have to die from.

 

The Revd. JP Heath


 

- Telugu language, english subtitles- The Condomerie typed in the text so you can KARAOKE and dance! This is InfoTainment in Optima Forma, clever STI Prevention brought from the Nrityanjali Academy, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Nrityanjali Academy presents:   PROTECTIVE COVER 

ALL credits go to: Kunapareddy Srinivas [ direction], Pedulla Narsing Rao & Pedulla Srinivas [ creative-directors], Pedda [ camera/editing ], Pedulla Srinivas [ dance master ], Kanugurti Venkatesh [ writer-music-singer ], Sai Krishna [ music composer ], Bnim & Bandreddy Narasimha Rao [coordinators ] Produced by : International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Frontiers Prevention Project and Mythri Centres. [ the clinics were named ‘Mythri’, meaning ‘friendship’ and ‘goodwill’ in Telugu, the language of the state Andhra Pradesh, India. ]

Presented by the Nrityanjali Academy ( a socio cultural organisation ) www.nrityanjali.org  All rights reserved by Nrityanjali Academy 2007.

[ dankzij een tip van Steye via YouTube " this is an entertaining and educational video in Telugu on Condom usage, to prevent from sexually transmitted infections and HIV, from Nrityanjali Academy, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India . uploaded to YouTube on 14.08.2007 ]

One in ten men in UK think Chlamydia is a flower

A new strategy aimed at increasing the number of men in England screened for chlamydia has been launched. The number of people tested for the sexually transmitted infection (STI) has risen since 2003 but the proportion of men having checks remains low.

Part of the problem is that young men rarely visit their GP, where they could be offered the urine test, says the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The HPA hopes that the programme will raise awareness of the importance of screening men, both for their own sexual and reproductive health and to prevent infertility in women.

Although chlamydia remains more serious for women, recent evidence by scientists in Mexico suggests that male fertility can also be impaired as a result of infection. If picked up early in men, it can be treated very easily with antibiotics and potentially eliminated.

The National Chlamydia Screening Programme was launched in England in 2003 and screened around 18,000 people under 25 in its first year. Only 7 per cent of these were men. In 2006/07 about a fifth of the 150,000 people screened were men.


Genevieve Clark of the Terrence Higgins Trust said: "Our research found that one in 10 men think chlamydia is a flower, so it's no surprise that too few of them are going for a test.

Source: BBC News 09/Nov/07

The Guard – Sells Only One Product in a Large Range of Colors, Textures and Even Flavors.


(4/28/2007) The Discovery Shopping Mall in South Kuta recently saw its newest shop open - Condom Shop The Guard specializing only in condoms.

Occupying a small 4 x 12 meter space, but painted bright red to help catch the attention of the shoppers visiting the busy mall, The Guard offers both male and female condoms in a mind-boggling array of styles imported from around the world.

The marketing manager of the shop told the local press that the decision to locate in a busy mall was to try to remove the embarrassment and social stigma sometimes associated with purchasing condoms, cautioning that "every 10 minutes someone new is infected with HIV."

thanks to our local contact on Bali : Mark Valentin

Safe sex is on the agenda for the first time this year, as the government prepares for the country’s first ever National Condom Week 2007 next month. The campaign is a national effort to curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), especially HIV/AIDS, by encouraging safe sex.
The week-long even is set to kick off on December 1 and would coincide with the commemoration of international HIV/AIDS day.
A number of events will be organized, including the distribution of free condoms, a music concert, various artistic competitions and other kinds of campaigns. All events would aim to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of safe sex and using condoms to avoid STDs.
“We (want to reduce) the prevalence of HIV/AIDS nationally,” chairman of the National Family Planning Coordinating Board, Sugiri Syarief, said.
“And we need to do this by encouraging the use of condoms as an effective way to prevent the transmission of diseases (via unsafe sex),” he said.
“National Condom Week is expected (to help) change (existing) stigmas about condoms — and to give (the public) an understanding that condoms are a safe contraceptive device.”
Sugiri said the nationwide use of condoms as a contraception was still low compared to neighboring countries.
Recent data from the country’s health ministry showed some 5,904 people infected with HIV and 10,384 people living with AIDS.
It is estimated between 176,000 and 247,000 more have been infected with the virus during 2006.
Desy Nurhayati (Jakarta Post)

Indonesia to launch first-ever national condom campaign

8-11-2007

Indonesia is to launch its first-ever national campaign to promote condom use to prevent unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually-transmitted infections including HIV and AIDS.

National Condom Week will coincide with World AIDS Day on December 1, said Sugiri Syarief, head of the National Family Planning Board who is overseeing the event.

The groundbreaking campaign will involve condom distribution, education on the benefits of using condoms as well as following safe sex practices, and other events aimed at helping lift the stigma attached to using condoms.

Government efforts to promote condom use have so far focused on family planning and not generated much enthusiasm. Condoms account for less than one per cent of all contraception used in Indonesia.

The head of the Indonesian Council of Mosques, Tarmidzi Taher, said the campaign was partly aimed not at getting Muslim leaders to endorse the use of condoms but to allow them to "understand the medical arguments for them."

Source: IPPF AFP  Push Journal 07/Nov/07

Africa at risk from dual epidemic

A rising number of dual infections with HIV and tuberculosis has created a co-epidemic spreading throughout sub-Saharan Africa, researchers say. Local health systems are unable to contain the co-epidemic, the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research says. The situation is made more urgent by increasing rates of drug-resistant TB in areas with a high prevalence of HIV. Half of all new TB cases in sub-Saharan Africa are now HIV co-infected, Forum director, Veronica Miller said.

Because HIV has destroyed the immune systems of at least a quarter of the population in some areas, far more people are not only developing TB but spreading it to otherwise healthy neighbours. In one community in the western Cape, a child is 100 times more likely to contract TB than anyone living in the developed world.

But one Cape Town-based researcher, Dr Stephen Lawn, says existing tests often cannot spot TB before it is too late and health care systems cannot cope. Without proper treatment, he says, 90 per cent of people with HIV die within months of contracting TB.

IPPF / Kaiser Network / BBC News     Source: BBC News 02/Nov/07    

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/60760.php

THE PLAN:

Public Health & Education | Brazil Plans To Offer Universal, No-Cost Access to Condoms, AIDS Director Says
[Aug 13, 2004]
      Brazil plans to distribute three billion condoms a year as part of a plan to offer universal access to condoms free-of-charge, Pedro Chequer, head of the country's AIDS program, said on Wednesday, Reuters reports. The condom program will build on the country's AIDS treatment program, which offers antiretroviral drugs at no cost to all HIV-positive people. Brazil's government distributed 20 million condoms in 1995 when the program began and plans to distribute 600 million this year, Chequer said. However, he did not say when the country would reach the "ideal" of distributing three billion condoms a year, which would be equivalent to 35 condoms for each of the 85 million people thought to be sexually active in the country, Reuters reports. "The contraceptive is mandatory in all non-stable sexual relationships," Chequer said. The government plans to provide incentives to local condom companies to guarantee that there will be sufficient supplies to carry out the program, Chequer said, according to Reuters. There are approximately 600,000 HIV-positive people in the country, although only 200,000 are aware of their status, according to government estimates (Reuters, 8/11).

Aug 2007, Profile of Mechai Viravaidya
one of the PSI Board of Directors

In 1995, AsiaWeek magazine published the following profile of Mechai Viravaidya, a member of PSI's Board of Directors, as one of "Twenty Great Asians" of the 20th century. Other Asians profiled included democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh. Below is the full article.
Mechai Viravaidya trained as an economist. But instead of juggling statistics, he ended up juggling condoms. He blew them up like balloons to popularize them among villagers. He even sent one to U.S. President Ronald Reagan. He roamed Bangkok's red-light districts, handing out contraceptives to prostitutes and their clients. So identified is Mechai's name with the prophylactics in Thailand that a "mechai" is a what people ask for when they want a condom.

The 54-year-old Thai social activist is proud to be known as "Mr. Condom." For two decades he was the driving force behind a grassroots population-control program that is considered one of the most successful anywhere. He has led a vigorous campaign against AIDS, and worked to improve the lives of Thailand's rural poor. In recognition of these achievements, he was given the Ramon Magsaysay Award for public service last year.

Mechai was drawn to social action by his parents. His Scottish mother and Thai father were both dedicated physicians. When he returned home in the mid-1960s with a degree in economics from Australia, his mother said to him: "You got an education not because you are bright, but because we had the money. If people like you work for profit, who is going to work for the poor?"

Mechai's first job was with the government's national planning agency. When he was sent up-country to report on development programs, he noticed that in every village he visited, children abounded. He resolved to do something to control Thailand's population, which was then growing at an annual rate of 3.2%. He knew that women would not improve their lives, children would not be educated, the country would not develop, unless the growth rate was checked. But the government lacked funds to tackle the problem. So in 1973 Mechai quit his job to develop a system "where the people had a role" in forging the solutions.

A year later he founded the Population and Community Development Association, a non-profit group that spread the message of birth control in the hinterlands. Mechai is a believer in humorous, attention-getting slogans. He loaned "family-planning buffaloes" for plowing at half the usual rate to farmers who adopted birth control. In one district he introduced "family-planning hogs" whose stud services were available free to those practicing contraception.

He used a similar tack in cities. Realizing that most Thais were reluctant to bring up the subject of birth control when visiting doctors, Mechai opened a vegetable stand in Bangkok that also sold condoms. He called it "Cabbages and Condoms." The idea appealed to the traditional Thai sense of sanook, or playfulness. Later he set up "Cabbages and Condoms" restaurant that promoted both vegetarianism and family planning. It featured a "Vasectomy Bar" where customers were entitled to a free drink if they go a vasectomy at the association's clinic next door.

By 1978, Mechai's spirited campaigns had become so successful that the government adopted his sanook approach to family planning. Today Thailand's population growth remains at its 1991 level of a little more than 1%, and is a model for other developing countries.

But just when population growth started to level off, the specter of AIDS surfaced. The government refused to acknowledge the extent of the problem until Mechai and other health workers raised the issue in lectures, public speeches and interviews. In 1991, six years after Thailand's first full-blown AIDS case came to light, the government appointed Mechai as minister in charge of tourism, information and the national AIDS program.

He mobilized a nationwide network of volunteers who distributed cards, audio cassettes and videos containing information about AIDS, and he defended the rights of AIDS patients by opposing mandatory blood tests. In addition, he launched the Thai Business Initiative in Rural Development, or T-BIRD, a project aimed at arresting the migration of poor villagers, particularly women, to urban areas, where prostitution is rife.

His campaign to promote the use of condoms has helped to significantly reduce sexually transmitted diseases, thereby preventing the spread of AIDS. But the battle is far from won. The World Health Organization estimates that almost 20 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Thailand has recorded more than 13,000 cases of AIDS since 1979. The virus is spreading fastest in South and Southeast Asia, says WHO. Since 1993, HIV infections in the region double to 3 million.

Mechai believes that Asia has yet to feel the full force of the pandemic. He predicts that AIDS will soon be more prevalent here that in Africa, where an estimated 11 million people are HIV carriers. "Thailand is going to be hurt," says Mechai, but because the country has an advanced AIDS-awareness program, "it won't be hurt as badly as India and Pakistan."

Now out of government, he is campaigning to involve businesses in rural development. "The move in the next decade," he says, "will be towards responsible business." After all these years, Mechai is still carrying out his mother's wishes.



 Mechai founded PDA to provide family planning services to many rural communities that were not reached by government programs at the time. Using a nationwide network of village-based volunteers, PDA empowered women to plan their pregnancies, giving both mothers and children the opportunity to live healthier lives. PDA’s comprehensive approach to poverty reduction also addresses income generation, water resource development, sanitation projects, environmental conservation, and promotion of gender equality and democracy.

Today, PDA's 600 employees, and more than 12,000 volunteers work in 18 regional development centers and branch offices throughout Thailand. Through its international training program, PDA has trained 2,900 people from 50 countries in innovative approaches to HIV prevention, family planning, adolescent reproductive health, and other issues.

Other recent winners include The Carter Center, the African Medical and Research Foundation, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee and the Brazil National AIDS Program.

Established in 2000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Award for Global Health recognizes organizations that have made major and lasting contributions to the field of global health. The award is administered by the Global Health Council, and presented at its annual international conference in Washington. A jury of international public health experts selects the award recipient based on leadership, record of achievement, innovation in program design, program stability and sustainability, collaboration with others, and impact across geographic and organizational boundaries. The prize consists of an award sculpture and $1 million. This year, almost 100 organizations were nominated for the award. www.psi.org/about_us/mechai2.html

 31-10-2007 note from Condomerie: Just after the Condomerie opened in may 1987 a thai-female stagiaire/trainee from  the Population and Community Development Association (PDA)-Thailand's foremost non-governmental charitable organization.  [ then run by Mechai as far we know- was sent all the way from Asia to the Condomerie, to spend some time in the Condomerie [ worlds first specialized condomshop ] studying and examining this brandnew anti-aids initiative in Amsterdam, by talking to employees, owners and clients. We hope that the Condomerie, by its existence only, formed in that simple way one of the many inspiration sources that inspired Mechai's for his brilliant idea of Cabbages and Condoms.  Please visit www.cabbagesandcondoms.co.th/Restaurant/Restaurant.asp and www.condomerie.com/condoms/content.php in Amsterdam to get inspired for your own aids/hiv initiative, where-ever that may be in the world.

12-11-2007 Uganda: circumcision should not be used as HIV prevention method, says Uganda president, Museveni.

Botswana: Botswana President, Festus Mogae said he is "open-minded" about the circumcision procedure, adding, "Let's try it."

Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni said circumcision should not be promoted as a way to prevent HIV transmission because it could ‘encourage recklessness among youth.’

Museveni said he would continue to promote the ABC strategy for HIV prevention, which stands for abstinence, be faithful and use condoms. He said that some non-governmental organizations "have been saying rubbish about circumcision, but I will continue encouraging the youth to abstain." Museveni added that he would rather youth use condoms "as a fall-back position but not rely on circumcision." Museveni also encouraged youth to get married immediately after finishing their education.

In related news, Botswana President, Festus Mogae encouraged all men to be circumcised after receiving an HIV test. He added that the government is developing guidelines on circumcision but cautioned that HIV transmission still is possible after undergoing the procedure. Mogae said he is "open-minded" about the procedure, adding, "Let's try it."

Mogae called on the journalists to promote abstinence and routine HIV testing. He added that although HIV awareness has increased and the country has been successful in providing HIV treatment, more action is necessary to halt the transmission of HIV in Botswana.

Source: Kaiser Network 09/Nov/07

Zimbabwe is rare bright spot for AIDS in southern Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe — In southern Africa for the past two decades, casual sex helped to fuel the worst epidemics of HIV and AIDS in the world. In Zimbabwe, however, fewer people are taking chances anymore, making this otherwise beleaguered nation an unlikely bright spot in Africa's battle against AIDS.

"Search every guy's wallet and you'll find a condom," said Tinashe, a bespectacled, easygoing 28-year-old. "No one is having sex without a condom. People are scared of HIV."

That generational shift toward less casual sex and widespread condom use among young Zimbabweans has helped reduce HIV infections here even as they keep rising in neighboring countries.

According to the most recent estimates by the Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS, 1.5 million Zimbabwean adults were living with HIV in 2005, down from 1.6 million in 2003. In every other country in southern Africa — home to 2 percent of the world's people but one-third of all HIV cases — the number of infected people rose slightly or held steady.

"It really is a success story in a bleak situation," said Michael Chommie, the country director for Population Services International, an American nonprofit group that promotes condom use.

Much of the decline, however, is due to people infected with the virus dying — at a rate of more than 3,000 each week — because antiretroviral drugs are unavailable or unaffordable. Nearly 600,000 Zimbabweans died of AIDS-related illnesses from 2004 to 2006, the third worst toll after India and South Africa, according to U.N. figures. Many HIV carriers also have fled the country, part of a nationwide exodus of more than 3 million people since Zimbabwe's economic free fall began.

Moreover, even with fewer new cases, 1 in 5 Zimbabweans has HIV, among the highest rates in the world.

Still, experts say that fewer Zimbabweans are contracting the virus now, thanks to near-universal awareness of AIDS and the risks of unprotected and casual sex.

Last year, epidemiologists from Imperial College in London documented a dramatic reduction in the number of sexual partners among men in the eastern countryside of Manicaland. They also found that far fewer teenagers — boys and girls — had become sexually active.

Experts suggest that sex has become another casualty of the country's eight-year economic depression, which has shrunk the economy by nearly half. Few men have the money to support extramarital affairs or, for bachelors, the late nights on the town often required to woo a woman.

"You have to spend to get sex," said Richard Chimbiri, who writes a column on HIV for the Financial Gazette, an independent newsweekly. "Some guys would have four or five girlfriends if they could. But the economic situation and the risk of HIV — it's all conspiring to make people change their attitudes."

Young people say they've also been scared straight by losing so many loved ones to AIDS, a phenomenon that researchers call "the funeral effect."

"You can point to anyone here, and they have a very close relative who died of AIDS," said Tinashe, an administrative assistant in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, who like many people agreed to discuss his personal life on condition that his last name be withheld to shield his privacy.

Tinashe's older brother contracted HIV while he was living in South Africa, but as the virus ate away at his body he refused to acknowledge that he was ill. In September 2003, when he returned to Zimbabwe for TInashe's college graduation, the family was shocked at how sickly he looked.

At Christmastime, at their mother's urging, Tinashe's brother checked into a hospital. But it was too late. He died three months later, at 38.

"He was in denial. It was a guy thing," Tinashe said. "Guys his age would brag about how many girls they slept with, and of course they never used condoms."

Those cavalier attitudes have changed. Tinashe, who has a steady girlfriend, said he'd never had unprotected sex. He figures that his friends are the same way, because he's seen packs of condoms in their bedrooms.

In national surveys dating to 1999, more than 70 percent of Zimbabwean men report using condoms when they have sex outside of marriage or long-term relationships. In some neighboring countries with major epidemics, such as Lesotho and Mozambique, those figures are below 50 percent.

A nation of fewer than 11 million people, Zimbabweans bought 90 million condoms last year, one of the highest rates anywhere, according to Population Services International. Three-packs sell for 1,000 Zimbabwean dollars, less than a book of matches. Condom use partly explains Zimbabwe's recent gains against HIV, said Simon Gregson, the lead author of the Manicaland study. "But . . . reductions in casual partnerships has been the single most important factor," he said.

Zimbabwean health officials have begun to highlight the dangers of casual sex. Before the economic crisis, Zimbabwe boasted among the best education and health-care systems on the continent, which may have helped safe-sex messages make an impact starting in the late 1990s.

Thanks to those messages, some women in highly patriarchal Zimbabwe said they now felt more comfortable demanding that their male partners use protection.

"There's so much information out there now about condoms," said 24-year-old Pamela. "As a woman, you feel you've got the power to say to a guy, 'If you can't use this, then hit the road.' "

By Shashank Bengali     | McClatchy Newspapers

PSI in the Press: Zimbabwe: Condom Use Contributes to Decline in HIV PSI/Zimbabwe’s condom distribution program was noted in a story on the recent decline in HIV prevalence in that country. The report, which quotes PSI/Zimbabwe Country Representative Michael Chommie, first appeared on the McClatchy News Service and was picked up by the Fort Worth Star Telegram, the Miami Herald and the Kansas City Star. 

The Roman Catholic Church's opposition to condom use is contributing to the spread of Human immunodeficiency virus. The virus that causes AIDS.  Two types of HIV are currently known: HIV-1 and HIV-2.  Worldwide, the predominant virus is HIV-1.  Both types of the virus may be transmitted by sexual contact, through blood, and from mother to child (either before or during birth, or through breast feeding), and they appear to cause clinically indistinguishable AIDS.  However, HIV-2 is less easily transmitted, and the period between initial infection and illness is longer in the case of HIV-2.

While some individuals experience mild HIV-related disease soon after initial infection, nearly all then remain well for years.  As the virus gradually damages their immune system, they begin to develop opportunistic infections of increasing severity, including diarrhoea, fever, tuberculosis, pneumonia, lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma."HIV in Latin America, according to Alberto Stella, UNAIDS coordinator for Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
"In Latin America, the use of condoms has been demonized, but if they were used in every relation, I guarantee the epidemic would be resolved in the region," Stella said.

He added that "The World Health Organization refers to those in the 15-24 age range as youth. youth start to be sexually active between 15 and 19 without "Basic education about reproductive processes, puberty, sexual behaviour, etc. Sex education may include other information, for example about contraception, protection from sexually transmitted infections and parenthood. sex education" a factor that contributes to the spread of HIV. In addition, evidence indicates that promoting abstinence is "not working," according to Stella.

About half of the 1.1 billion Catholics worldwide live in Latin America, and the Roman Catholic Church "holds sway" in the region. About 1.7 million people in Latin America are living with "Human immunodeficiency virus. The virus that causes AIDS.  Two types of HIV are currently known: HIV-1 and HIV-2.  Worldwide, the predominant virus is HIV-1.  Both types of the virus may be transmitted by sexual contact, through blood, and from mother to child (either before or during birth, or through breast feeding), and they appear to cause clinically indistinguishable AIDS.  However, HIV-2 is less easily transmitted, and the period between initial infection and illness is longer in the case of HIV-2.

While some individuals experience mild HIV-related disease soon after initial infection, nearly all then remain well for years.  As the virus gradually damages their immune system, they begin to develop opportunistic infections of increasing severity, including diarrhoea, fever, tuberculosis, pneumonia, lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma."HIV="Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The late stage of infection caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).  HIV steadily weakens the body's defence (immune) system until it can no longer fight off life-threatening illnesses.  These include infections such as pneumonia and certain cancers. The number of new HIV cases in the region increased to 410,000 in 2006 from 320,000 in 2004, according to UNAIDS.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/86571.php

note Condomerie: You can also read more about Church and Condoms on the website of the Condomerie : www.condomerie.com/condoms/church_condom.php

- Oct 22 2007 - The rapid spread in Latin America of the virus that causes AIDS is made worse by the Roman Catholic Church's stand against using condoms, a U.N. official said on Monday.
Some 1.7 million people across Latin America are infected with the HIV virus or full-blown AIDS, and the epidemic is spreading swiftly with up to 410,000 new cases in 2006, up from as many as 320,000 new cases in 2004, according the UN AIDS program, UNAIDS.
"In Latin America the use of condoms has been demonized, but if they were used in every relation I guarantee the epidemic would be resolved in the region," said Alberto Stella, the UNAIDS Coordinator for Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The Catholic Church, which holds sway in Latin America despite the rise in evangelical churches, opposes all forms of contraception and instead promotes abstinence as a way to avoid spreading AIDS.
"The fact young people start to be sexually active between 15 and 19 without sex education contributes to the spreading of the virus, as well as the fact that the evidence shows abstinence is not working," Stella told Reuters.
Latin America is home to nearly half the world's 1.1 billion Catholics, but the Church's position on premarital sex and contraception often clashes with modern values. Brazil, the region's largest Catholic nation, regularly distributes free condoms to try and bring down HIV infection rates.

Hyderabad,India, Oct 20, 2007- Thirty-five-year-old Laxmi feels much safer now- thanks to Female condoms. And she is just one in an army of sex workers who feel the condoms have given them a new meaning in life.

'One in every three clients refuses to wear condoms. But after attending health awareness camps, I have understood the threat of AIDS and how it spreads through unprotected sex,' Laxmi said.  'In the last few months we have got female condoms at very subsidised rate. When a client refuses to take protection, we go for the female condom for our own safety,' Laxmi told IANS.

Like Laxmi, there are tens of thousands of women across India for whom there is now an option to stay safe from HIV/AIDS even when their clients refuse to take protection. Anusha is another commercial sex worker working in and around Hyderabad. She said: 'Besides the health benefit, there is a monetary gain as well. Instead of refusing customers, especially those who are drunk, we go for female condoms. 'This practice helps in stabilising our earnings and at the same time keeps us away from HIV/AIDS,' she said.

Anusha and her fellow workers have even composed a Telugu song to hail the benefit of female condoms, popularly called FCs.'Like a security guard has a gun, now female sex workers have an FC in their hand for protection,' she said, speaking in Hindi mixed with Telugu.To cut down the threat of AIDS, the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) has distributed female condoms. The effort is paying off in empowering sex workers.

While the market price of a female condom is Rs.47, NACO makes them available to sex workers for just Rs.5.

Although the FC was produced in 1992, it came to India in 2003.NACO, Hindustan Latex and several NGOs are now jointly conducting a pre-assessment survey on the acceptance of FCs among sex workers of six states that have a large number of HIV/AIDS cases. 

By applying the CSD500 condom, a pharmacological dose contained within the teat of the condom will be delivered to the penis. This will result in increased local blood flow which in turn will lead to improved rigidity, tumescence and duration of an erection.
Discussions with EU regulatory authorities have confirmed that the product will be classified within the EU as a Class III medical device with an ancillary medicinal substance. This classification will allow the product to be sold throughout Europe in the same way as conventional condoms.
Futura has signed a global distribution agreement with the world's largest branded condom manufacturer and distributor, SSL International plc ("SSL" - makers of the Durex® condom range) for the lifetime of the patents.
Futura recently announced positive results from a user study of CSD500. The study, equally funded by Futura and its marketing and distribution partner SSL International plc (SSL), successfully met its primary endpoint of demonstrating a firmer erection through the use of the CSD500 condom compared with a standard condom.
The study’s secondary endpoints of increased penile size and a longer-lasting sexual experience also revealed positive, statistically significant data. These results from the double-blind, randomised, cross-over study will complete the regulatory package for CSD500.
The study included 108 healthy couples, the men of which had at some time experienced a loss or partial loss of erection whilst using standard condoms. A good safety and tolerability profile was reported for CSD500.
CSD500 is expected to receive marketing approval later this year, after which it will be launched and marketed by SSL as a Durex-branded condom. SSL is currently carrying out the detailed preparatory work for CSD500’s EU marketing launch, including the selection of the product’s brand name within the Durex® portfolio and the product’s logo and packaging. Once launched, Futura will receive royalty payments from SSL based on product sales.
To protect Futura’s revenues from CSD500. Futura has secured patent protection, or is proceeding to obtain patent protection, in 36 consumer markets, including the principal territories within Europe as well as the USA and Canada.

17 September 2007
Futura and SSL [ maker of Durex condoms ] sign global development and licensing agreement for MED2002
Futura Medical plc (AIM: FUM), the pharmaceutical group that develops innovative products for the consumer healthcare market, is pleased to announce that it has signed a global development, marketing and distribution agreement with SSL International plc (LSE: SSL) for worldwide rights to MED2002, the Company’s topically applied gel for erectile dysfunction (ED).
Under the terms of the agreement with SSL, an undisclosed royalty on MED2002’s sales will be paid to Futura with milestone payments of up to £18 million, subject to certain specified regulatory approvals and sales targets being achieved. SSL and Futura will jointly manage the completion of the clinical development programme of MED2002 currently expected to cost up to £3.65 million, with SSL contributing 65 per cent of the costs and Futura contributing 35 per cent.
Once launched, MED2002 is expected to become the world’s first non-prescription pharmaceutical treatment for men with ED, a condition that affects, to some degree, 50 per cent of men aged 45 or over2. This would be an important step forward as it is estimated that only 15 per cent of men with ED seek treatment3 due to the embarrassment of having to consult a doctor to be prescribed one of the current treatments, all of which require a prescription.
This agreement with SSL further strengthens an existing relationship between Futura and SSL which already holds the distribution rights for two of Futura’s products currently under development.
A development agreement for MED2002 was initially signed with GlaxoSmithKline plc, which returned rights to the product to Futura as announced on 14 May 2007.
James Barder, Futura Medical’s Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have signed such an important agreement with SSL and believe that the speed with which SSL has entered this agreement is a significant endorsement of the technical quality and commercial potential of MED2002.”

Futura Medical plc
Futura Medical is a pharmaceutical group that develops innovative products for consumer healthcare.  The Company is developing a portfolio of products and its strategy is to license their manufacture and distribution to major pharmaceutical and healthcare groups.
Futura is based in Guildford, Surrey, and its shares trade on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.

1. MED2002 is the term used by Futura to describe all the different gel formulations applied directly to the penis for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction. Futura may code certain formulations, for identification purposes, by altering the final digit. For example MED2001 or MED2004.
2. Massachusetts Male Ageing Study (MMAS), J Urol 1994 Jan; ISI (1) : pages 54-61
3. Prog Urol February 2003, vol 13 part 1, pages 85-91

Stijvere penis door speciaal condoom
Mannen met erectieproblemen bij condoomgebruik hebben vanaf volgend jaar een excuus minder om onveilig te vrijen. Een Engelse condoomfabrikant heeft een condoom ontwikkeld met een gel erin, waardoor de penis stijver blijft dan met gewone condooms. Het condoom dat nu nog CSD500 wordt genoemd is in de top voorzien van een gel genaamd 'Zanifil'. Het actieve bestandsdeel in de gel (glyceryl trinitraat, GTN) wordt opgenomen door de penis en zorgt voor een betere doorbloeding in de penis. Een betere bloedtoevoer zorgt ervoor dat een erectie steviger en groter zal zijn, én dat deze langer in stand blijft.

Uit onderzoek onder 108 koppels blijkt dat CSD500, zoals het condoom heet, mannen helpt een grotere erectie te krijgen dan met een normaal condoom. De seks duurt ook gemiddeld langer. Een kleine hoeveelheid gel in het puntje van het condoom verwijdt de bloedvaten en vergroot de bloedtoevoer naar de penis.

“49 procent van de mensen die op dit moment geen condoom gebruiken, zeggen geïnteresseerd te zijn in dit product omdat het ze kan helpen om hun erectie te houden”, zegt James Barder, directeur van Futura Medical, het bedrijf dat het condoom bedacht heeft.

Het bedrijf verwacht later dit jaar goedkeuring van de Europese Unie voor de verkoop van het condoom te krijgen. Als het meezit wordt het condoom volgend jaar door Durex op de markt gebracht. Bij Durex is de Durex Performa al langer bekend. Aan dit Performa condoom is een kleine hoeveelheid benzocaine toegevoegd, wat het gevoel van de eikel een beetje verdooft. Hierdoor kan het hoogtepunt makkelijker worden uitgesteld.

Op 9 augustus 2007 werd bekend gemaakt dat een studie naar de effectiviteit van de CSD500 condooms succesvol is afgerond. De studie werd uitgevoerd met 108 gezonde partners waarvan de man wel eens last heeft van (gedeeltelijk) verlies van de erectie bij het gebruik van normale condooms.
De studie beantwoordde aan de primaire doelstelling waarbij werd aangetoond dat ze bij het gebruik van CSD500 condooms een stevigere erectie hadden dan bij het gebruik van normale condooms.
De secundaire doelstelling werd ook positief beantwoord: de mannen verkregen door de CSD500 condooms met Zanifil een grotere erectie en hielden deze langer vol, zodat daarmee het liefdesspel kon worden verlengd.

Het bedrijf wil het condoom in Europa laten classificeren als een klasse III medisch hulpmiddel met een ondersteunend geneesmiddel. Dit betekent dat het dan mag worden verkocht aan consumenten onder dezelfde wettelijke regelgeving als gelden voor normale normale condooms (zie CE-markering).

James Barder, directeur  Futura Medical is  tevreden met de positieve testresultaten en is overtuigd van het succes van CSD500 condooms zodra deze naar verwachting in 2008 op de markt worden gebracht. Het bedrijf heeft reeds patenten in Europa, de USA en Canada en werkt nog aan uitbreiding ervan.

Enquete heeft aangetoond dat 80% van de mannen die regelmatig condooms gebruiken het nieuwe condoom willen proberen, en dat 49% van mannen die geen condooms gebruiken  wel interesse hebben in het condoom als hen dat aan een betere erectie helpt.

Wereldwijd worden jaarlijks ongeveer 14 biljoen condooms gefabriceerd. De helft wordt verkocht, de andere helft wordt gedistibuteerd naar ontwikkelingslanden.

 

Entrepreneur seeks condom size variety
Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:32:06 GMT
By BURT HERMAN, Associated Press Writer
SEOGWIPO, South Korea - As the world's top condom experts convene this week to update international standards, one American entrepreneur has a simple message: Size matters. It's shaking up an industry that has generally taken a one-size-fits-all approach.
Frank Sadlo, founder of TheyFit, which makes what he claims are the world's first custom-fit condoms, is pushing for updated standards to allow greater variation in condom size.

It's not just about well-endowed men in cramped prophylactic quarters, Sadlo told a meeting Thursday of delegates from 21 countries under the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization.

When given a choice, he said many men prefer condoms smaller than the standard minimum 6.3 inches long, with more than half ordering those less than 5.12 inches.

At the session in Seogwipo on South Korea's Jeju Island, more than 100 representatives — including leading manufacturers, government standards bodies and aid groups — pored over 42 pages of specifications and testing requirements for condoms.

Standards are especially crucial — failure could mean the spread of potentially deadly diseases or unwanted pregnancy.

"Our job is to do away with inferior condoms," said Eng Long Ong, meeting chairman and deputy head of the Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council, which estimates 13-14 billion condoms are made each year.

Getting quality condoms can be especially difficult in places like Africa, where they are a major part of AIDS prevention campaigns.

Ian Matondo, an adviser to the Malawi Health Ministry, said the issue of condoms breaking in Africa had nothing to do with the size of men's penises but was due to poor manufacturing.

The standard for testing condom strength is to fill it with air, a technique pioneered by the Swedes in the 1950s. Condoms of the standard length and width must hold at least 4.76 gallons of air — far more than they would ever be expected to contain under normal use.

Varying condom size would require standards and test equipment to change and is expected to require another a year for approval, Sadlo said.

The length issue is just one of many being debated at the five-day meeting, the 24th such session since 1975, where delegates were creating new standards for synthetic and female condoms.

Synthetic polyurethane condoms are an alternative for people allergic to rubber latex and can be thinner without losing strength. They also conduct heat better for "much more sensitivity with lovemaking," said Grant Burt, international division director for Japan's Sagami Rubber Industries Co.

Female condoms are seeing increasing use in Africa, where they are often distributed for free so women can take control of disease prevention, said Matondo.

Innovation for male condoms has focused on adding textures to enhance sexual pleasure, or offering different colors or lubricants. At the meeting, South Korean manufacturer Unidus displayed its "Long-Love" condom — featuring desensitizing cream inside to prevent premature ejaculation so men "make a lasting impression."

Widths vary but condom length is usually standard, as it believed latex can stretch to fit all men. The average adult penis is 5-6 inches long, experts said.

Sadlo said his inspiration for custom condoms arose from his days playing baseball at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, where locker room tales of exploits with the opposite sex often failed to include use of condoms due to complaints they did not fit.

A more comfortable condom contributes to men actually using them, said Michael Reece, director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University.
"Typically, when a man complains about condom fit, we have assumed that he means that condoms are too small and we have often just ignored this complaint because we think that men are bragging about the size of their penis," Reece said via e-mail.
He said men also have problems with condoms being too large.
"It is time for those who establish condom manufacturing standards to consider whether an expanded range of condom sizes is necessary," Reece said.
Sadlo offers a "fit kit," a sheet of paper printed from a computer for sizing — and advising the user to watch out for paper cuts. The chart only runs from long to longer.
The product was offered from 2003-2006 in the United States before he withdrew it to upgrade from 55 to 95 sizes. Changing international standard would make it easier to widely offer the product, rather than seeking approval in each country.
Sadlo said it has been difficult to transform the condom industry.
"In order to bring about revolutionary change, you need to have the mind-set of a trailblazer, you need to keep focused on your vision," he said.