South Africa recalls 1.35m condoms amid complaints
Source: Agencies |
February 1, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SOUTH Africa is recalling 1.35 million condoms given away at the African National Congress party's centenary celebrations amid charges some broke during intercourse and others were porous, an official said yesterday.
AIDS activist Sello Mokhalipi of the Treatment Action Campaign said he complained after "we had people flocking in, coming to report that the condoms had burst while they were having sex."
Some were panicking because they were infected with AIDS and were concerned for their partners, he said.
Spokesman Jabu Mbalula of the health department of Free State province, which distributed the condoms before the January 6-8 celebrations, said they had recalled the entire batch of 1.35 million condoms around January 18. He said there was no need for panic.
In 2007, the government had to recall more than 20 million defective condoms manufactured locally. Media reports said a testing manager at the South African Bureau of Standards had taken a bribe to certify the faulty condoms. In 2008 another 5 million defective condoms were recalled.
The latest allegations involve condoms distributed to hotels and bars in the central city of Bloemfontein, where tens of thousands of people traveled from all over the country for the ANC celebrations. South Africa has the world's highest number of AIDS victims at 5.6 million.
Mokhalipi said the complaints started coming in on January 11, prompting his office to run tests on some of the allegedly flawed condoms.
"We poured water into the condoms and they were leaking, not just in one place, they were leaking like a sieve," he said. Looking at them, "you can see there are small pores."
AIDS activist Sello Mokhalipi of the Treatment Action Campaign said he complained after "we had people flocking in, coming to report that the condoms had burst while they were having sex."
Some were panicking because they were infected with AIDS and were concerned for their partners, he said.
Spokesman Jabu Mbalula of the health department of Free State province, which distributed the condoms before the January 6-8 celebrations, said they had recalled the entire batch of 1.35 million condoms around January 18. He said there was no need for panic.
In 2007, the government had to recall more than 20 million defective condoms manufactured locally. Media reports said a testing manager at the South African Bureau of Standards had taken a bribe to certify the faulty condoms. In 2008 another 5 million defective condoms were recalled.
The latest allegations involve condoms distributed to hotels and bars in the central city of Bloemfontein, where tens of thousands of people traveled from all over the country for the ANC celebrations. South Africa has the world's highest number of AIDS victims at 5.6 million.
Mokhalipi said the complaints started coming in on January 11, prompting his office to run tests on some of the allegedly flawed condoms.
"We poured water into the condoms and they were leaking, not just in one place, they were leaking like a sieve," he said. Looking at them, "you can see there are small pores."
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