Zimbos use 85 million condoms inside twelve months- NAC

NATIONAL Aids Council (NAC) said it had projected a target for male condoms at 100 million and over 5 million for female condoms on 2020.

However, both targets were missed.

A staggering 85 million condoms were distributed in Zimbabwe last year as the country strives to achieve global HIV testing and condom use targets by 2030.

NAC 2021 Global AIDS Monitoring Report shows that 83 million male condoms were distributed with female condoms standing at 2.9 million.

“Both targets for male (100m) and female (5.5m) condoms were missed attributed to service disruption due to Covid-19,” Amon NAC monitoring and evaluation director said last Friday.

Mpofu also said condoms remain relevant and practical for various population groups, including sexually active young people, pregnant and lactating women, women experiencing complications with hormonal methods of family planning, as well as other population groups involved in high-risk sex, such as sex workers.

In a 2017 evaluation conducted by the NAC and partners, women and men indicated a dislike of the free condoms provided (a brand called Puma), reporting that they had an unpleasant smell and tended to break easily.

The female condom was also disliked by both women and men.

The country is making strong progress towards the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets.