Britain Sends 42 Million Condoms as HIV Prevention Campaign Is Stepped Up Before World Cup

On Tuesday, Britain's Department for International Development (DfID) announced £1 million (US $1.5 million) in aid to provide South Africa 42 million condoms. South African officials recently requested help in distributing additional condoms during World Cup, which the nation will host in three months.

About 500,000 fans are expected to visit South Africa during the month-long event. In addition, 40,000 sex workers are expected to arrive, according to South Africa's Central Drug Authority. With the massive influx of visitors and high HIV prevalence in South Africa and neighboring countries, officials are concerned over the potential for new infections.

"Obviously, there's a big focus on the World Cup coming up and a huge increase in the number of people coming to South Africa," said Gareth Thomas, DfID's minister. "The South Africans have identified themselves the need to get more condoms in place. South Africa specifically asked for British assistance and we are responding to that request."

The number of condoms distributed annually in South Africa - about 450 million - is inadequate, given that the nation is home to 16 million sexually active males and has the world's highest HIV/AIDS caseload.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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