Source: CDC Twitter

Isabel Draper

Last July, the CDC tweeted a reminder that condoms should not be washed or reused in any way, shape, or form. One condom should be used for one sexual act and then thrown away immediately. While this may seem like common sense, the CDC put out this reminder because the data that they collected indicated that people were reusing condoms. The World Health Organization recognizes that education on the proper use of condoms should be improved and that inexpensive condoms should be readily available in order to discourage people from washing or reusing condoms.

The Cuban government subsidizes condoms to the point that a pack of three costs about four cents. Consequently some people use them for fishing, making balloons, and as slingshots. While these may seem like comical uses for condoms, they are still very important for their primary purpose: preventing pregnancy and the transmission of STIs. Cuba has one of the lowest rates of HIV infection in Latin America and its’ fertility rate is about 1.6- which is below the rate needed to sustain the current population size.

Condoms should be used once per sexual act to prevent the transmission of STIs and to minimize the risk of pregnancy.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/02/health/condom-cdc-reuse-tweet-trnd/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/index.html?s_CID=tw_STD0180484

https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2018/08/30/the-many-uses-of-condoms-in-cuba