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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2006

Health Agency Promotes National Condom Week with Online Campaign

Research Triangle Park, NC – The American Social Health Association (ASHA) is marking National Condom Week with new online publications, including a series of columns answering frequently asked condom questions.

Supporting the Condom Week theme of “Respect and Responsibility,” ASHA contends that people deserve to have the most accurate, up-to-date information on condoms, which can play a major role in the prevention of many sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

“Condoms are an essential tool in reducing the risk of STIs in sexually active populations,” says James R. Allen, MD, MPH, president and CEO of the American Social Health Association (ASHA). “They are currently the only widely available, proven method for reducing risk of infection during intercourse.”

As a leader in public education on STI's, ASHA emphasizes that condoms are not being used as much as they should be, owing largely to ignorance and misconceptions.

To aid consumers, ASHA is unveiling a new series of columns by Kay Stone, MD, a former medical epidemiologist with the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Beginning on Monday, Feb 13, these will run on www.ashastd.org .

“Every day, we field questions from the public on sexual health,” says Allen, “and we know that questions about risk reduction for STIs are at the top of the list.” Stone's direct and witty responses to readers' questions will provide a fresh outlook on condoms and STI prevention.

As part of Condom Week, ASHA is also making available expanded Web pages on condoms, which include free, downloadable posters (in English & Spanish) designed to promote the public health benefits of condoms.

This year, National Condom Week coincides with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) consideration of changes to condom labeling as required by a congressional mandate. Meanwhile, new research continues to show the effectiveness of condoms in reducing the risk of STIs.

ASHA is urging the FDA to adopt a condom label that is scientifically accurate, simple, and written at a language level that can be understood by people at all literacy levels.

“We believe it is essential that the condom label be useful to potential users,” emphasizes Allen. “That means it must be legible, intelligible, and understandable.”

Still, controversy exists. “Over the past decade, the utility of condoms for STI prevention has been challenged on the basis of ill-founded concerns that condom promotion might paradoxically encourage risky behaviors,” says Edward W. Hook, III, MD, a member of the ASHA Board of Directors and professor of medicine at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

This notion is incorrect and further ignores the millions of people who have previously acquired a viral infection, such as herpes or HIV, and for whom effective measures to protect a future partner from infection are still needed. In the United States, more than 50 million people are estimated to have genital herpes and over 1 million people are estimated to have HIV infection. The male latex condom reduces the risk of transmission of these infections when used correctly and consistently.

“We acknowledge condoms are not 100% effective, but the scientifically accurate bottom line is condoms are currently the best product available to protect sexually active people from STIs, including HIV,” says Allen.

The American Social Health Association is a 92-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to providing factual, unbiased information about sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. ASHA has provided assistance to millions of people who have called for information, used our Web sites, or read our pamphlets and educational materials. For more information about ASHA, visit www.ASHAstd.org . ASHA's educational web sites also include: www.iwannaknow.org (for teens), and www.quierosaber.org (en español).