The City of Cape Town’s Health Department has recorded a significant drop in the use of condoms, with a correlating rise in the number of sexually transmitted infections.
And, in significance of February, which marks Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and Condom Month, women and men alike are encouraged to have health checks and take charge of their reproductive well-being.
“The decline in the use of prophylactics is concerning,” said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, the City’s Mayco member for community services and health, especially when coupled with the rise in STIs. With February being the month of love, I want to challenge both men and women to start loving themselves first and take the necessary precautions with regards to their reproductive well-being.”
The distribution of male condoms has nearly halved, while that of female condoms is less than a third of the previous year.
This is the second consecutive year which shows a decline.
The use of male condoms dropped from 30,6 million during the 2019-’20 financial year to 16 085 200 during the 2020-’21 financial year. In addition, the use of female condoms dropped from 954 599 to 305 400 in the respective financial years, which could partially be attributed to people staying at home as per the health directive and fewer visits to clinics during the festive season.
“STIs need not be a big problem as most of the infections can be cured,” said Van der Ross.
“Reluctance to seek medical treatment because of the fear of being stigmatised is one of many reasons many wait until it’s too late. The consequences of not seeking treatment can be devastating and life threatening.
“You can get an STI even if you have sex only once with an infected partner. Untreated STIs can affect an unborn baby, cause mental illness or damage to the heart and kidneys, infertility, as well as cancer of the sex organs.”
City clinics provide services and medication free of charge and many facilities have dedicated time slots for youth-related health services, which are usually in the afternoons after school.
