AEGiS-14IAC: Towards defining a methodology for female-condom HIV prevention.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Towards defining a methodology for female-condom HIV prevention.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. G12510)

Kapusta C
Act up-Paris, Paris, France

ISSUES: Alternatives to condoms have emerged as a major need in order to meet present challenges to fully successful HIV prevention. The fact That women are in many countries the population most represented among new contaminations faces us with the urgency of female-condom HIV prevention. As extensive clinical research has showed, equal efficacy and good acceptability among heterosexuals make the female condom the only true equivalent to the male condom. The female condom therefore deserves equal availability and priority. The public health imperative for priorizing female-condom HIV prevention is that government failure to ensure availability, accessibility and social marketing of the female condom will prevent significant uptake of the Reflex to use the tool - especially in the most economically vulnerable populations. The ethical imperative is that failure to take action will continue to expose women to unsafe "risk-reduction alternative prevention measures" and will be responsible for vast numbers of contaminations.

DESCRIPTION: This paper will present a successful model for achieving effective female-condom HIV prevention. This will involve an analysis of broad financial partnerships, very-low-price tool launch campaigns, effective social marketing and healthcare worker training. This paper is based on experience as Women's Prevention Worker with ACT UP-Paris, France.

LESSON LEARNED: There is deep demand for and great uptake of the female condom when proper availability, accessibility and social marketing is achieved. RECOMMENDATION: This paper recommends that appropriate models for female condom availability, accessibility and social marketing campaigns be disseminated and implemented at soonest, to meet ethical and public health imperatives.

Keywords: AEGIS, Condoms, Female, Condoms, France, Paris, Human, Female, Male, methods, prevention & controlKWDaegis,condoms,female,condoms,france,paris,human,female,male,methods,prevention&control

020707
G12510

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.