Contraband condoms with fascinating covers are sold anywhere at the moment. Health workers say this is a risk against the HIV fight.Condoms, one of the major gadgets in preventing the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), are like drugs which must be tested and validated before be use by individuals. But this is not the case with some condoms currently being sold in all the nooks and crannies of the country. Nowadays, condoms are hawked along roadsides like groundnuts or sweets. Wherever you are, you need not worry about where to get a condom, just anywhere you will see children aged less than
15, retailing boxes of condoms which have no brand name but packaged with pictures of beautiful provocative white ladies that are almost naked in their attires. Experts involved in the fight against HIV in the country say the combat against the pandemic cannot be successfully won when people use condoms of doubtful qualities that have not been controlled by the structure charged with testing condoms sold in Cameroon.
A member of the Ad-hoc committee charged with follow-up of the fight against HIV in Cameroon, Fortune Hilarion Manga, says condoms are not to be sold along the roadside. For preservation rules, they are required to be kept safe before usage. According to him, condoms which are authorised for sale in Cameroon are found in various pharmacies in the country like the popular condom with brand name « Prudence » which can be seen in shops found around town. It is revealed that all condoms authorised for sale in Cameroon have been tested by the Food and Drug Board with headquarters in Accra.{module Publicité 300_250} As such, the packets of these condoms carry the logo of the Ministry of Public Health, the National AIDS Control Committee, dubbed CNLS in the French Language, the Organisation de Coordination pour la lutte contre les Endémies en Afrique Centrale (OCEAC), KFW Group, and the project for the prevention of HIV/AIDS in Central Africa on the package of the condom. But the condom which is gaining grounds in the market has neither the logo of the Ministry of Public Health nor partners charged with fighting HIV in Cameroon. Because of its attractive and appealing cover, many people are rushing for it without knowing the dangers that can come after using it. While some people claim to obtain extra s*e*xual pleasure when using the brand-less condom due to the fact that they say it has « vibrating tendencies », some women have testified to have felt itches around their private parts after using the condoms.
Fortune Manga adds that the condoms have perfume smell and nobody knows the content of the lubricant. The source of this contraband condom is not known and the fact that the package does not carry the name of any manufacturer makes matters worse because in case of a problem, nobody will know where to address the issue. Fortune Manga further says they have requested authorisation from the Minister of Public Health not only to track the source of the condoms but also to get rid of those which are already in the market.
