Sunday Times, South Africa - Sunday, February 14, 1999
Charmain Naidoo, New York

Statistics show that women are the fastest growing HIV- positive group in the world. It is expected that by the end of next year women will make up the majority of those newly infected with HIV.

In South Africa, more than 17 percent of the population is infected. In the worst hit province, KwaZulu-Natal, almost one third of pregnant women are infected.

Results from an UNAIDS study in 1997 showed that when the female condom was made available, sexually transmitted diseases fell by 34 percent and the number of unprotected sex acts decreased by 25 percent.

The female condom has not been well accepted in the US, where it was introduced in 1994.

However, since the UNAIDS programme took the condom on as a means of protection for women in developing countries it has negotiated bulk sale discounts, which have seen the retail price fall about 75 percent. Zambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Venezuela and Tanzania are some of the countries that have put in orders for the female condom.

Studies supported by UNAIDS show that when the female condom is available there is a significant reduction in the incidence of sexually transmitted disease and that it is highly cost-effective.

Dr Mary Anne Leeper, the president and chief operating officer of the Chicago-based Female Health Company, has been negotiating the deal with the South African Department of Health.

She said: "Everyone [in the US] thought we were a gimmick. The media made a joke of it and everyone forgot what it was doing. It's saving lives."

In April last year an UNAIDS meeting in Pretoria was devoted exclusively to the female condom. Eighty delegates from 15 Southern and East African countries called for greater availability and access to it.

At the meeting, Leeper said: "Here you are talking about a need that is just terrible. In Botswana, 20 percent of the sexually active population has AIDS. It's beyond comprehension. They're all dying. The average lifespan was 65; now it's down in the low 40s.

"The ones who are dying are the young people. The life of the country is being squeezed out."

It is widely known that the male condom has had a luke warm response in Africa.

The female condom is a prelubricated disposable sheath made of fine polyurethane, unlike the male condom which is made of latex. It is inserted by the woman into the vaginal canal before intercourse. The flexible ring inside the closed end is used to insert the condom. Like a diaphragm, it hugs the cervix. The outer ring of the sheath is worn outside the body, covering the labia and providing a barrier from the penis. The condom should be used only once.

According to the manufacturer, the female condom will prevent pregnancy in 95 percent of users over the course of a year.
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