Condom shortage in a Kenyan town has reportedly forced residents to recycle used condoms, as they try to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections.
According to a report by the ‘Daily Nation, the affected town is popular with local and international tourists, and has over the years, experienced a rise in sex trade, as jobless women take up to prostitution.
Although female condoms have been available in the town for more than a decade, they are not yet popular with local residents.
The shortage of male condoms in the town has led residents to come up with various alternatives, which include washing used condoms and using polythene paper.
The report said these unconventional methods have led to the spread of HIV/AIDS in the area. This report comes a few days after the country’s Ministry of Health recalled ‘Fiesta Stamina’ and ‘Fiesta Big Black’ condoms on grounds that they were substandard.
Currently, nearly one million Kenyans are on HIV treatment, including about 54,000 mothers who are on treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission.
