Sarasvati Kalpa

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates condoms to ensure their safety and effectiveness. Different countries have different regulatory agencies. For example, condoms in Europe that have been properly tested and approved should carry the CE Mark. Elsewhere in the world, you can find that condoms are ISO approved. Also, individual countries may have their own approval marks for condoms, for example, the Kitemark in the UK.

In the US, each condom is electronically tested for holes and defects.²¹ Also, condom manufacturers sample each lot of finished packaged condoms and visually examine them for holes using a water leak test. Condom manufacturers also tests lots for physical characteristics using the air burst test and the tensile (strength) test.

The FDA, for example, recognises domestic and international standards that specify that the rate of sampled condoms failing the water leak test, for each manufacturing lot of condoms, be less than 1 condom in 400.²²

Condom availability

How many condoms are used each year?

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an estimated 10.4 billion male condoms were used worldwide in 2005. Of these, around 4.4 billion were used for family planning and 6.0 billion for HIV prevention.²³

Donor support for condoms

In most countries where the HIV prevalence rate is high many people cannot afford to purchase condoms. Sexually active adults and teenagers must rely on condoms that are provided for free or sold at a subsidised low price. Governments often supply and promote condoms, but the poorest countries rely almost entirely on donations from outside agencies such as the UNFPA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The UNFPA records information on the quantities of condoms donated to countries worldwide by a range of organisations. Analysis of data collected between 1990 and 2005, as displayed in the graph, shows that the number of condoms donated has risen. Before 1996 however, the supply of condoms was always able to meet the demand, yet in recent years that has not been the case.

The UNFPA estimates that at least 13.1 billion condoms were needed in 2005 to significantly reduce the spread of HIV, and another 4.4 billion were required for family planning. The number of condoms donated in 2005 was only 1.8 billion – representing just 10% of the need.

Between 2000 and 2005, fourteen countries received an average of more than 10 donated condoms per man per year. All of these countries have widespread HIV epidemics and, with the exception of Haiti, all of them are in sub-Saharan Africa. At the very top of the list were Congo, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Cape Verde, each of which received more than 20 condoms per man per year.

Developing countries outside sub-Saharan Africa tend to receive much lower numbers of donated condoms per man, with an average below one condom per man per year.²⁴

References:

1. Durex website: History of Condoms http://www.durex.com
2. Durex website: History of Condoms http://www.durex.com
3. Himes N.E. (1936) ‘Medical history of contraception’, Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins in Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
4. Langley L. L. (ed)(1973) ‘Contraception’ Stroudsburg: Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross in Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
5. Fryer P. (1965) ‘the Birth controllers’, London: Secker and Warburg and Dingwall EJ. (1953) ‘Early contraceptive sheaths’ BMJ, Jan 1: 40-1 in Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
6. Fryer P. (1965) ‘the Birth controllers’, London: Secker and Warburg and Dingwall EJ. (1953) ‘Early contraceptive sheaths’ BMJ, Jan 1: 40-1 in Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
7. Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
8. Fryer P. (1965) ‘the Birth controllers’, London: Secker and Warburg and Dingwall EJ. (1953) ‘Early contraceptive sheaths’ BMJ, Jan 1: 40-1 in Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
9. Himes N.E. (1936) ‘Medical history of contraception’, Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins in Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
10. Durex website: History of Condoms http://www.durex.com , accessed 12/1/04 and Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
11. Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
12. Durex website: History of Durex http://www.durex.com
13. Lewis M. ‘A Brief history of condoms’ in Mindel A. (2000) ‘Condoms’, BMJ books
14. CDC (2003) ‘Male latex condoms and sexually transmitted diseases’, Fact sheet for public health personnel
15. De Vincenzi I. (1994) ‘A longitudinal study of human immunodeficiency virus transmission by heterosexual partners’, the New England Journal of Medicine; 331:341-346
16. CDC (2003) ‘Male latex condoms and sexually transmitted diseases’, Fact sheet for public health personnel
17. CDC (1993) ‘ Basic facts about condoms and their use in preventing HIV infection and other STDs’, July 30
18. Sexuality Information and education Council of the United States (SIECUS) (2002) ‘Fact Sheet: The truth about condoms’, November
19. CDC (1999) ‘Condoms and their use in preventing HIV infection and other STDs’, September
20. CDC (1999) ‘Condoms and their use in preventing HIV infection and other STDs’, September
21. Nordenberg T. (1998) ‘Condoms: barriers to bad news’, FDA Consumer Magazine, March-April
22. NIAIDD (2001) ‘Workshop Summary: Scientific evidence on condom effectiveness for sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention, June 12-13, 200, Hyatt Dulles Airport, Hernon, Virginia’, July 20
23. UNFPA (2005) ‘Donor Support for Contraceptives and Condoms for STI/HIV Prevention 2005’
24. UNFPA (2005) ‘Donor Support for Contraceptives and Condoms for STI/HIV Prevention 2005’