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Some Ugandans wash, reuse condoms for protection against HIV, unplanned pregnancies – Study
A lab technician conducts quality tests of different Condom brands at the National Drug Authority (NDA) laboratory in Kampala on November 22, 2019. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Our call to Ugandans is to sensitize the people and the service users so that they are able to know the correct use and the right use and the quality of the items they use especially condoms.
A 2020 study by The Aids Support Organisation, TASO in collaboration with the Ministry of Health reveals that girls in Buyende and Mayuge districts wash and reuse condoms for protection against HIV and unplanned pregnancies.
Speaking at an event geared towards discussing the agenda for national dissemination of 2022 Community Score Card, CSC findings, Ms Irene Murungi, the senior technical advisor gender at TASO and Uganda Aids Commission (UAC) said girls of reproductive age are also sharing used condoms.
“There are a number of girls that actually are still reusing condoms and some are actually borrowing from their friends. They go and use, afterwards, they come put in Omo and put in the sunlight [to dry]. They keep, tomorrow they use or they give a friend to use,” Ms Murungi said.
CSC is a strategy to improve HIV clinical services in Uganda.
Ms Murungi said reusing condoms is ineffective in the fight against HIV.
“This is not effective in preventing HIV infections and our call to Ugandans is to sensitize the people and the service users so that they are able to know the correct use and the right use and the quality of the items they use especially condoms. If it is not packed, if it is expired, then it’s not worthy for use. It is happening within our country,” Ms Murungi said.
She attributed this actions of the users, especially the girls in the communities that reuse condoms to lack of access to the right information on condom use and HIV prevention.
According to Dr Nelson Musoba, the Director General, UAC, “Condoms are not reusable. So that’s wrong if that finding shows that condoms are being washed and reused. That’s wrong because they will not work as well as they should.”
To avert the danger of HIV infections, Dr Musoba said “we will continue to raise campaigns for people to know correct [way to use condoms]. The issue about condoms is correct and consistent use. That a condom is used once, you first check and make sure that it is viable, that it’s not broken, it’s not expired, you wear it correctly and you use it only once. So we just need to continue educating the population. The health workers will do that. Other leaders will do that to make sure that people do not put themselves at risk by reusing condoms.”
Ms Evelyn Bukirwa, the coordinator of The International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa, ICWEA, asked different stakeholders to show commitment towards ending AIDS by 2030.
According to her, “that cannot happen if stakeholders don’t take part.”
