Liberians Shun Condoms. 15/9/10

Condom use at first sex is rare

Despite medical warnings that unprotected sex is a major cause of being infected with STIs, including HIV/AIDS, there is low condom use in Liberia and unprotected sex is the norm, rather than the exception, especially among the most sexually active youthful population, according to Dr. Ivan Camanor, executive director of the National AIDS Commission.

He says the LDHS (Liberia demographic housing survey) shows that condom use at first sex is rare, and only 6% among young people age 15-24 years who ever had sexual intercourse, used a condom during their first sexual intercourse.

In the National HIV AND AIDS Strategic Framework II for 2010-2014, Dr. Camanor reveals that only 14% of women, who reported having had higher-risk intercourse in the past 12 months, used a condom at the last higher-risk sex.

Concerning drivers of HIV/AIDS in Liberia, the document reveals causal links affecting the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the country are "not known and the true picture of its drivers here is not clear because no mapping of high risk groups has as yet been carried out".

High-risk groups to be determined are globally defined high risk groups such as IDPs and refugees, who constitute a significant proportion of Liberia's population, uniformed persons, long distance bus and truck drivers, and commercial sex workers, men having sex with men and prison populations.

But no studies have been conducted on the level of transactional sex and intergenerational sex that is commonplace urban areas.