Condoms not effective in preventing HIV?

Condoms not effective in preventing HIV?

Dear Dr. Donya,

I have just read your article in The Jakarta Post about
teenagers and STDs. I am doing sociocultural research into
HIV/AIDS awareness in regard to actual sex practices and sexual
behavior in Banda, Maluku.

I note that you say a latex condom does not protect against
AIDS. This is against all current thinking throughout the medical
and social world. Condoms are rejected in certain parts of the
world not because they do not protect but because they are
against certain religious thought which feels that sexual
abstinence would be the only message for prevention.

The people who are at risk are those who do not practice
abstinence already and probably will continue in this way because
they do not see HIV as an immediate threat. They need to use
condoms. The message your article gives to teenagers appears very
contrary and confusing.

- Dr. Agnes Westwater

Dear Dr. Westwater

I am pleased to see I have your readership and I thank you for
your participation. I do understand and agree with you that the
message does seem a bit contradictory in that in one paragraph I
state that the use of a condom is highly recommended, then in the
next paragraph I say that a condom does not prevent the
transmission of HIV/AIDS. My husband also had the same question.

The best way to answer your question is to refer to the
information distributed by Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). In the information offered for frequently asked
questions about the transmission of HIV/AIDS, CDC states that HIV
can enter the body through mucous membranes e.g. eyes or inside
the nose and mouth. Later in the report it states that research
has shown the effectiveness of latex condoms used on the penis to
prevent the transmission of HIV.

Condoms are not risk-free, but they greatly reduce the risk of
infection if your partner is HIV positive. The CDC even goes as
far as to say that under the right conditions prolonged kissing
has shown to transmit HIV. I appreciate your question and this
opportunity to clarify any confusion I may have created.

My own experience has been to participate in a long-term study
concerning the transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child
among sex workers in Thailand. I have also worked in the high
tourist areas and have consulted with HIV infected people who
swore they used a condom. For these reason I stated that the only
true prevention is abstinence. I hope this answer is more
satisfying. Thanks.

- Dr. Donya