Condom usage up: Nac

Senior Reporter
MORE sexually active Zimbabweans seem to be having protected sex according to the National Aids Council which distributed more than 28 million condoms last year compared to 25 million distributed in 2012.Nac’s communications director Medelina Dube said the jump in the number of condoms distributed shows that more people were having protected sex.

In an interview yesterday, Dube said the new figure was a positive sign as it showed that people were now aware of the dangers of having unprotected sex.

“It is true that more than 28 million condoms were distributed last year up from 25 million distributed in 2012. It’s a clear sign that there is behaviour change among the country’s sexually active population,” she said.

Dube said if one fails to abstain or be faithful to their partners, they should always practice constant use of condoms to avoid contracting HIV/Aids.

“We however want to urge condom users to use them correctly in order to achieve the intended goal”, said Dube.

Messages about the importance of using condoms have been pushed by HIV/Aids activists and health professionals for decades.
The country’s Aids prevalence rate has gone down from 18 percent in 2008 to 15 percent.

Zimbabwe’s estimated number of people living with HIV is 1,1 million with 980, 061 being adults.