Condoms to be improved

Press, 18 May 1984, Page 6

Condoms to be improved

NZPA-Reuter New York Chinese condoms are of poor quality and effectiveness and a JUS2.7 million aid project is proposed to help improve the product by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities says a report by the United N 'ions agency. The project is part of a proposed SUSSO million fiveyear aid programme for China, which has more than one billion people. The aid would be specifically for family planning and the setting up of training centres for population statistics and analysis, the agency’s report said. In a section on contraceptive production, it said that production and demand for condoms had increased about 20 to 25 per cent annually in recent years. “During 1985, condom production in China is projected to reach more than 900 million. However, the present quality of the condoms tends to hinder their acceptability and effectiveness,” it said.

One aid project would help the Qingdao Latex Factory and the Guangzhou Rubber Factory to introduce lubrication, electronic testing, quality control, and packaging equipment. The Kunming Research Institute of Latex would also work on improving the quality of condoms the report said. “The object of the research would be to devise a method to reduce the thickness of the latex, while increasing the strength in order to improve both the effectiveness and acceptability of the condom as a method of contraception.”