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CONDOMS ARE EFFECTIVE AGAINST HIV/AIDS by HHS Press Release
A special review panel led by HHS' National Institutes of Health has
concluded that male latex condoms can effectively reduce transmission of
HIV/AIDS. However, the panel's report also finds that epidemiological
evidence is insufficient to determine the effectiveness of condoms in actual
use for preventing most other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
The report confirms that correct and consistent use of condoms can reduce
the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission. Epidemiological studies also show
condoms can prevent men from acquiring gonorrhea from a female partner, the
report concludes.
However, the review panel concluded that epidemiological evidence is
currently insufficient to provide an accurate assessment of the
effectiveness of condoms in preventing spread of chlamydial infection,
syphilis, chancroid, trichomoniasis, genital herpes and genital human
papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
The panel said that "because of limitations in study designs, there was
insufficient evidence from the epidemiological studies on these diseases to
draw definite conclusions" about the effectiveness of condoms in actual use.
It noted that "the absence of definitive conclusions reflected inadequacies
of the evidence available and should not be interpreted as proof of the
adequacy or inadequacy of the condom to reduce the risk of STDs." The
panel also recommended further well-designed research to help answer
remaining questions.
At the request of former Rep. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, the National
Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Agency for International
Development organized the workshop held in June 2000. Twenty-eight expert
panel members analyzed more than 138 peer-reviewed, published studies on the
properties and user patterns of the male latex condom during penile-vaginal
intercourse.
Meta-analysis of several studies showed an 85 percent decrease in risk of
HIV transmission among consistent condom users versus non-users. These data
provide compelling evidence that consistent use of the latex male condom is
a highly effective method for preventing HIV transmission, the report said.
Studies also show a 49 percent to 100 percent reduction in risk of gonorrhea
among men reporting condom use compared with non-users.
For the other STDs reviewed, existing studies were found insufficient to
accurately assess effectiveness. For HPV, the panel found there was no
evidence that condom use reduced the risk of HPV infection, but study
results did suggest that condom use might afford some reduction in risk of
HPV-associated diseases.
STDs, including HIV infection, affect more than 65 million people in the
United States. Many STDs can cause infertility, problems with pregnancy, and
can be passed from a mother to her infant. Long-term infection with HPV can
cause cervical cancer if not diagnosed (through annual pap smears) and
treated. In addition, most STDs increase the likelihood of transmitting HIV
infection at least 2 to 5-fold. While most STDs can be treated
successfully, no vaccine is currently available to prevent infection by
organisms that cause STDs, except for hepatitis B.
The workshop summary, "Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention," is available on the Web at
www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf. This article appears in the following topics:
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