argentina to hand out 82 mln free condoms

Agence France-Presse Argentina to hand out 82 mln free condoms Staff Writer AFP
January 4, 2013

BUENOS AIRES, Jan 4, 2013 (AFP) - Argentina plans to give out 82 million condoms nationwide in 2013 in a campaign against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, the health ministry said Friday. The condoms will be handed out at health centers, schools, prisons, bars and nightclubs, as well as through a network of nearly 3,000 fixed spots at public agencies. The free distribution of condoms -- and of 17 million lubricating gels -- aims to "ensure access to preventative methods against sexually transmitted diseases," the ministry said in a statement. Lubrication helps prevent condoms from tearing and helps avoid abrasions, which could lead to contaminated blood infecting the partner. In Argentina, about 5,500 people are newly diagnosed with HIV each year, and "90 percent of new infections come from sex without using condoms," it added. However, the agency noted that the number of new HIV infections has dropped by more than 30 percent since 2004, and the infection rate in 2010 stood at 11.7 cases per 100,000, down from 17.3 per 100,000. Argentina has a population of 40 million people, 30 million of whom are over 15 years old.

Most Read: Latest Added Related Topics White House LGBT Conference on HIV/AIDS UNITED STATES: White House in Atlanta: LGBT AIDS Conference No more single-theme conferences: global HIV prevention conference planned FHI 360 Senior Scientist Lut Van Damme Receives International Microbicide Conference Lifetime Achievement Award Equatorial Guinea Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and UNICEF Refute Erroneous AIDS Prevalence Figures Photographs from A Day with HIV Now Online Bulgaria urges Libya to investigate AIDS nurses case Engineers enter fight against AIDS in Africa Gilead’s Complera® Non-Inferior to Atripla® Among Treatment-Naive HIV Patients UN chief Ban calls world leaders to end Aids by 2020 CANADA: Celibate Homosexual Men Now Allowed to Donate Blood in Canada AFRICA: UN: AIDS Deaths Down, Treatment Up in Africa MICHIGAN: STD Fee for Jackson County Walk-In Clinic Takes Effect June 3 NEW YORK: Catskill Hospital Warns That Insulin Pens May Have Been Reused DELAWARE: Cape Henlopen Theatre Academy to Host 'Magic to Do' May 25 GLOBAL: HIV Outcomes Could Improve by Integrating Treatment of Comorbid Mental Illness CANADA: Stop Paid Blood Donor Clinics in Toronto, Victims Say UNITED STATES: How Sexual Stigma Is Undermining HIV Treatment on American Indian Reservations HHS Office for Civil Rights launches campaign to increase awareness of HIPAA rights among HIV-positive Black men Blue Cross To Allow HIV/AIDS Patients to "Opt-Out" of Mandatory Mail-Order Rx Drug Program, Announces Consumer Watchdog Official L.A. Condom Hits the Streets in 40-Foot Long Condom Mobile The next generation of Malawi's children stay HIV free with Option B+OHIO: Cleveland LGBT Community Center Offers Free Support Groups and HIV, STD Testing: The Frugal Patient VIRGINIA: Charlottesville Nonprofit Offering Free Hepatitis C Testing WASHINGTON: Free Hepatitis Testing for At-Risk Individuals Cuba Knows Condom Use Not Enough Kenya condom advert opposed by Catholic Church Uganda: Elderly Ugandans Ashamed of Buying Condoms Drug industry CEOs plotting more carve-outs Burundi marks its National AIDS Day and commits to an AIDS-free generation
Copyright © 2013 -Agence France-Presse, Publisher. All rights reserved to AFP articles contained on the AEGiS web site may not be reproduced, distributed,transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without AFP's prior written permission. You may make one copy of each article for your personal, non-commercial use only; more copies would require AFP's prior written permission obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics Agence France-Presse Information in this article was accurate in January 4, 2013. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.