Effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted infections

Evidence for the importance of condom use in STI prevention

Published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, this article reports on a review of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), focusing on prospective studies published since June 2000. The review found evidence that consistent condom use was associated not only with reduced HIV transmission but also with reduced acquisition of a range of STIs, including herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), syphilis and chlamydia in men and women, and gonorrhoea in men. The review concluded that, although not 100 per cent effective, condoms can substantially reduce the spread of STIs within populations.

The article recommends further research using improved methods to achieve a more accurate assessment of condom use. Methods suggested include the routine collection of partner-specific data in relation to testing for current STIs or HIV infection; and collection of data over a specific period, focusing on perceived risk of infection among the users. The article concludes that balanced STI and HIV prevention programmes should include condom promotion along with a combination of strategies targeted towards different age groups, circumstances, epidemic levels and settings. It emphasises that condom promotion represents an important element of both HIV and STI prevention strategies.

Related content

Document
Transactional sex and risk for HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Joyce Wamoyi, Kirsten Stoebena, Natalia Bobrova, T. Abramsky, Charlotte Watts / 2016
Young women aged 15 to 24 years in sub-Saharan Africa continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. A growing number of studies have suggested that the practice of transactional sex may in part explain women's heightened risk, but evidence on the association between transactional sex and HIV has not yet been synthesized.
Document
Income-generating activities for young peoplein southern Africa: Exploring AIDS andother constraints
Flora Hadju, Nicola Ansell, E. Robson, Lorraine van Blerk, Lucy Chipeta / Wiley Online Library, 2010
This paper reports on a study with rural young people (aged 10–24 years) in Malawi and Lesotho, focusing on their opportunities to learn skills and access capital and assets to engage in income-generating activities (IGAs).
Document
Ending child marriage and stopping the spread of HIV ...opportunities and challenges for action
End Child Marriage Now (African Union), 2016
AIDS is now the number-one killer of adolescents in Africa. What is more worrying is that seven of every 10 new infections of HIV among adolescents are girls, which shows how vulnerable girls are to acquiring HIV.
Document
Averting 'New Variant Famine' in Southern Africa: building food-secure livelihoods with AIDS-affected young people
N. Ansell, E. Robson, L. van Blerk, F. Hajdu / Economic and Social Research Council, UK, 2009
Numerous reports have linked AIDS’ impacts on young people and their long term food insecurity, through, for instance, orphans’ failure to inherit property and resources; inability to retain rights to land which they are too young or inexperienced to farm; or interruption of intergenerational knowledge transfer following parental deaths.
Document
Averting ‘New Variant Famine’ in Southern Africa: building food-secure rural livelihoods with AIDS-affected young people
N. Ansell / Department for International Development, UK, 2009
Southern Africa is experiencing the world’s highest HIV prevalence rates alongside recurrent food crises. This has prompted scholars to hypothesise a 'New Variant Famine' in which inability to access food is driven by the effects of AIDS. In line with this, it has been suggested that the impacts of AIDS on young people today is likely to diminish their prospects of food security in adult life.

Eldis

Effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted infections