The American Social Health Association has for the 11th consecutive year declared Wednesday National Condom Day, according to the "Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report." Designed to coincide with Valentine's Day, National Condom Day aims to encourage people to "love responsibly" by using condoms to "protect one another's sexual health," said Linda Alexander, ASHA president and CEO. "We encourage people to talk openly and honestly with their sex partners about the sensitive subject of condoms as a way to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases."
National Condom Day-related events include:
* County health officials in Manitowoc County, Wisc., will distribute free condoms in an effort to make county residents more aware of sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy.
* Health Department workers in Detroit began distributing free condoms over the weekend at nightclubs, bars, and "establishments where sexual activities may at least initiate," according to the Detroit Free Press. Flavored condoms, colored condoms, female condoms, and novelty condoms, such as condom earrings and lollipops, are being handed out. The city's health department's budget for this project was increased from $500 last year to $6,000 this year.
* The University of Mississippi Counseling Center is distributing free condoms and pamphlets promoting safer sex as part of its monthlong "It's a Love Thing" program, according to the Daily Mississippian.
* Health workers in Hong Kong drove through the city Wednesday in an open-top "Love Bus," distributing colored and flavored condoms to promote open discussions of safer sex among the city's residents.
* Oxygen Media, which bills itself as the "online and on-air network for women," has set up a Web site that features video clips that include condom demonstrations, expert advice on the use of male and female condoms, and discussion boards on safer sex and birth control. The site can be viewed here.
* Global Protection Corp. is releasing Night Light, the only glow-in-the-dark condom approved by the FDA for disease and pregnancy protection. The condom uses a nontoxic phosphorous pigment contained in the middle layer of the three-layer latex condom. Other glow-in-the-dark condoms on the market are available as novelty items only and not approved for the prevention of disease and pregnancy. The company is also sponsoring a Web contest in which 10 winners will receive a free year's supply of condoms. Online registration for the contest is available at https://www.nightlightcondoms.com.
* Ansell Healthcare, the manufacturer of LifeStyles Condoms, is releasing three new products for National Condom Day, including LifeStyles Large Condom, the Snugger Fit Condom, and LifeStyles Luscious Flavors Condoms, available in vanilla, strawberry, and banana flavors.
* CONDOMania.com, an online retail site, is conducting an Internet survey of condom usage at www.rateyourself.com. In "keeping with CONDOMania's mission, the survey contains both serious and silly questions designed to get participants to think about condom usage in a fun way," a company press release says.
For more information about condoms or sexually transmitted diseases, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's national STD and AIDS hotlines at (800) 342-2437 or (800) 227-8922.
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