News / Health
Zimbabwe condoms not safe
11 Jul 2012 at 05:28hrs | Views
Condoms users in Zimbabwe are in danger after it emerged that equipment used to test the quality of condoms is out-dated and no longer has capacity to produce accurate results.
Legislators who sit in the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Child and Health Welfare were on Tuesday told this by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe director, Gugu Mahlangu.
Mahlangu said "We are using equipment as old as 15 years and its old equipment," she said.
"We are supposed to test 6-8 sample batches of condoms with the air inflators but at the end we only test three batches because of the backward technology" added Mahlangu.
Last week it was report that Zimbabwe has the highest condom usage in the world over the last five years.
The development has contributed to the reduction of the HIV prevalence rate in the country. But the three Matabeleland provinces - Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South - remain at the top in HIV and Aids prevalence compared to other provinces.
"The usage of condoms is very high in Zimbabwe compared to other countries in the world. This is because in terms of distribution of condoms the country has adopted an intense distribution system through the National Family Planning Council which is working with different community care groups," said National Aids Council (NAC) monitoring and evaluation director Amon Mpofu was quoted saying.
Legislators who sit in the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Child and Health Welfare were on Tuesday told this by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe director, Gugu Mahlangu.
Mahlangu said "We are using equipment as old as 15 years and its old equipment," she said.
Last week it was report that Zimbabwe has the highest condom usage in the world over the last five years.
The development has contributed to the reduction of the HIV prevalence rate in the country. But the three Matabeleland provinces - Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South - remain at the top in HIV and Aids prevalence compared to other provinces.
"The usage of condoms is very high in Zimbabwe compared to other countries in the world. This is because in terms of distribution of condoms the country has adopted an intense distribution system through the National Family Planning Council which is working with different community care groups," said National Aids Council (NAC) monitoring and evaluation director Amon Mpofu was quoted saying.
Source - Byo24News
