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February 12, 2024
AHF on International Condom Day: Can’t Fight HIV without Condoms
Nearly 50 AHF country teams host safer sex-themed events; U.S. stages Ohh Mamma! burlesque extravaganza in Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Atlanta
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In celebration of International Condom Day (ICD), AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) – which founded the globally-recognized holiday in 2009 – is sponsoring events in nearly 50 countries around the world to provoke conversation and reignite the global commitment to condom use. Activities will spread the message that condoms remain a powerful, affordable, lifesaving tool – shielding millions from HIV, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unplanned pregnancies.
“Relying solely on costly biomedical interventions like PrEP is dangerously shortsighted. This International Condom Day, we call on governments to prioritize free or affordable condoms and robust education efforts, ensuring everyone has the tools to stay safer and healthier.”
In the U.S., AHF is debuting its new Mamma Mia!-inspired burlesque show – Ohh Mamma! – a seductive celebration of safer sex starring RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season six winner Kylie Sonique Love and several of Prince’s former dancers. Since 2022, AHF has toured its free ICD show to enthusiastic, sold-out audiences across the country. This year’s extravaganza travels to Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Atlanta.
Condom use has declined in recent years with the introduction of pre- and post-exposure prophylaxes medications – PrEP and PEP – but this is a dangerous trend we must reverse if we are going to win the fight against HIV/AIDS. Neither PrEP nor PEP protects against other STIs, and acquiring an STI can increase one’s susceptibility to HIV. Condoms have averted an estimated 117 million new HIV infections since 1990. AHF distributed more than 56.5 million free condoms in 2024 alone.
“Condoms remain the most easily accessible, cost-effective tool to prevent HIV, yet they’re often overlooked. We still are seeing an estimated 1.3 million new HIV transmissions annually and more than 1 million preventable STIs daily. Ending the HIV and AIDS crisis means stopping new cases,” said Terri Ford, AHF’s Chief of Global Advocacy and Policy. “Relying solely on costly biomedical interventions like PrEP is dangerously shortsighted. This International Condom Day, we call on governments to prioritize free or affordable condoms and robust education efforts, ensuring everyone has the tools to stay safer and healthier.”
AHF established International Condom Day (February 13th) in 2009 as a way to remind people to practice safer sex and wear protection to prevent unplanned pregnancy and STIs, including HIV. Many international public health institutions, including the World Health Organization, recognize ICD as an opportunity to emphasize the importance of using condoms. The day also provides advocates with a vital platform to urge policymakers to waive condom taxes and make them easier to import and more accessible worldwide.
Visit LOVEcondoms.org and AHFEvents.org to learn more. View scenes from sold-out Ohh Mamma! show here.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 2.2 million individuals across 47 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. In January 2025, AHF received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award, the King Center’s highest recognition for an organization leading work in the social justice arena. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
Contacts:
Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications, AHF
+1 323 308 1833 work +1.323.791.5526 mobile
gedk@aidshealth.org
Denys Nazarov, AHF Director of Global Policy & Communications
(323) 308-1829
denys.nazarov@aidshealth.org
Source: https://www.businesswire.com/news/beverlyhillschamber/20250212883146/en
"Reproduced with permission - AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)"
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
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