Ghana on Alert: Chinese-Made Condoms Found to Be Faulty
Ghana on Alert: Chinese-Made Condoms Found to Be Faulty
A
man shows condoms from a bus window at the start of a road campaign in
Yopougon, a working district of the capital city Abidjan on September
28, 2009, as part of an AIDS prevention programme for 5 millions people
on an Abidjan-Lagos axis including five West African countries: Ivory
Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria
An alert
has been issued in Ghana after it was discovered that about 200 million
condoms imported into the country from China were faulty.
"There are holes in them and... the condoms burst easily," a Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) spokesman told the BBC.
So
far at least 1 million "Be Safe" condoms have been impounded by the
FDA, who has appealed for health centers and agencies cross the country
to stop their distribution.
Thomas Amedzro, head of drug
enforcement at the FDA, said under the regulations, all imported condoms
were required to undergo checks before distribution but in this case it
had not occurred, The Guardian reported.
He said subsequent tests had found they were poor quality, can burst during sexual activity and also have holes in them
"You
may not be able to see the holes with your naked eye but when you look
at it under the microscope you can see holes," he said.
The
defective condoms, which were made by an unidentified Chinese company
and imported from Kenya, are described as being in a silver and white
package with a red AIDS ribbon and the words "BE SAFE" written on it,
UPI reported.
Health officials fear it could cause a major public health issue and rise in HIV infection.
In
2011, there were 14,000 deaths in Ghana from AIDS, and about 12,000 new
HIV infections, the HIV Epidemic Response for Ghana recorded.
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