1. Condom Effectiveness
A presentation developed by PSI-TANZANIA, Tanzania Bureau of Standards and TGPSH/GTZ

2. Introduction Some people have doubts about condom effectiveness.
What scientific proof is there to show that condoms are safe and effective?
Let’s look at recent scientific studies...

3. How does the condom work?
Condoms prevent
Exposure of the penis to cervicovaginal secretions and tissues;
Exposure of the vagina to penile secretions
Therefore they protect the man and the woman

4. How does the condom work?
Condoms have been engineered to:
Be placed easily (onto the penis) and
Minimizes slippage and breakage during vaginal intercourse.

5. Scientists need to examine:
1) Is the male condom, when tested in a laboratory, impermeable to infectious agents, including the smallest viruses?
2) What evidence (field studies) is there that the human use of the condom reduces the risk of unwanted pregnancies, HIV infection and other STI?

6. Is the condom impermeable to infectious agents?
Let’s examine published scientific studies:
Can pores be found in condoms, when they are examined with a strong microscope?
No, all studies revealed that there are no pores.

7. Is the condom impermeable to infectious agents?
Even a laboratory study using a very strong electron microscope which magnifies times found no pores.
Even if the condom is stretched, there are no pores!

8. Is the condom impermeable to infectious agents?
There are no pores in condoms
However, what do studies using real micro organisms including the small HIV conclude?
Laboratory studies carried out to assess leakage of several microorganisms through condom membranes, including HIV found no evidence of leakage!

9. Condom effectiveness
To conclude, the answer to the question is yes: An intact Latex Condom is impermeable to infectious agents.
Condoms are highly effective barriers to virus passage!!

10. Effectiveness of condom use:
Let’s turn to our second question:
Even if laboratory testing concludes that the condom is effective, we need to see if this result is confirmed by field studies.
Does the human use of the condom confirm the effectiveness of the condom?

11. HIV/AIDS Protection
Studies on HIV-discordant couples -one partner is infected with HIV and the other is not- show how effective condoms are:
All studies confirm that consistent condom users have low risks of HIV infection:
3 recent studies found that infection rates were less than 1% per year among HIV-discordant couples using condoms consistently.

12. HIV/AIDS Protection
A large European study of 256 HIV-discordant couples followed for an average of 20 months found that not one infection occurred among couples always using condoms!
In contrast, 12 partners of the 121 couples who did not use condoms became infected.
Field studies thus proof that condoms are effective in preventing HIV/AIDS!!

13. Protection against STIs
Condoms provide protection against STIs:
A recent review of studies (2004) carried out by WHO confirms that condoms provide statistically significant protection of men and women against chlamydia infection, gonorrhea, herpes simplex virus type 2 and syphilis.
All studies were carefully examined and studies with flawed study design were excluded.

14. Protection against STIs
Condoms may be less effective in protecting against STIs that are transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, since the infected area may not be covered by the condom.

15. Effectiveness against pregnancy
3 to 14 out of 100 women get pregnant in a year using only condoms for contraception.
However, most condom failure is attributed to the human failure to use condoms correctly and consistently

16. Effectiveness against pregnancy
Reasons for failure is can include:
Condoms are not available
They are not used for every act of sex
Poor communication between partners
The user does not know how to use a condom correctly.

17. Effectiveness against pregnancy
For example, the risk of breakage is concentrated in certain couples who lack knowledge about condom use.
Couples who use condoms consistently and correctly are at very low risk of pregnancy!!

18. Condom effectiveness Conclusion
Correct and consistent use of condoms drastically reduces the risk of HIV and STI transmission and unwanted pregnancy.

19. Condom effectiveness Conclusion
Failure of Condoms to protect against STI including HIV is explained by user failure rather than by product failure.
This calls for the need to promote proper and consistent use of condoms.

20. Condom effectiveness Conclusion
Condom misconceptions are misleading and there is a need to inform the public about the scientific evidence.
Condoms use needs to be explained properly and can be learned by practicing.