PARIS, Oct 21 (AFP) - The European Commission has criticised the Vatican for suggesting condoms do not protect users against HIV, saying the assertion had no scientific basis and could worsen the global AIDS pandemic.
"Condoms are part of the solution. The condemnation of condoms is part of the problem," Poul Nielson, European Commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, said in a statement sent to AFP on Tuesday.
The sharply-worded communique did not mention the Holy See or its officials.
But it was clearly aimed at rebutting a senior Roman Catholic cardinal who last week declared the AIDS virus could slip through condoms because of their "permeability".
"I rely on statements that are based on sound scientific evidence -- and we can demonstrate that condoms are the best way to prevent HIV infection," the statement quoted European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin as saying.
The European Union's executive arm pointed to "extensive proof" that condoms protected against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) if used correctly.
"Over the last 15 years, the Commission has supported about a dozen research initiatives in this field across Europe, as well as in Asia and Africa, the areas most affected by the AIDS pandemic.
"EU projects focussed on condoms' potential porosity and quality standards, and included surveys of infection transmission in couples and prostitutes... All the studies concluded that the male condom was an effective way of preventing the transmission of HIV, with an efficacy close to 100 percent when the condom is used appropriately."
The Commission pointed out that in the absence of a cure for HIV/AIDS, protective measures were vital in the fight against AIDS "and this includes condoms".
The rebuttal is the latest in a series of angry responses by health campaigners to remarks made by Colombian Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, who said last week that condoms were unsafe, supposedly because the virus could sneak through pores in the rubber sheath.
"In the case of the AIDS virus, which is around 450 times smaller than the sperm cell, the condom's latex material obviously gives much less security. Some studies reveal permeability of condoms in 15 percent or even up to 20 percent of cases," Trujillo told AFP.
"I propose that the ministries of health require the inclusion in condom packages and advertisements, and in the apparatus or shelves where they are displayed, a warning that the condom is not safe," Trujillo, president of the Vatican's Council for the Family, said in a written response to questions.
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