Pore benighted 'eathen

It was back in September 1995 that I first learned that condoms have pores. The report in the Republika daily, that condoms have holes 1/10 micron in diameter (whereas HIV is only 1/600 micron) must be correct because it was written by a professor: Prof. DR H. Dadang Hawari. Even more so, since the byline noted that the article was a result of cooperation between the daily and the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI). Who could possibly doubt it?

Of course, since then I have learned that Prof Dadang is typical example of our faith-based, rather than evidence-based, academics. And even IDI felt it must respond. So they arranged a debate on condoms, exactly 14 years ago today. This was held in the medical faculty of the prestigious University of Indonesia, and I was there. Prof Dadang was due to speak, presumably on the 'side of the angels.' However, he pulled out at the last moment, as he as always done when called upon to defend his position. So the debate went ahead, one-sided, without him. As I recall, it was one of my first experiences of us preaching to the choir.

The challenge of 'pored' condoms has since come up, it seems, at least once a year. On each occasion, 'we' tell each other 'we' must do something, that 'we' must address this once and for all. But since 'we' usually means 'someone else', nothing changes.

At least that was until this year. Now it's just gotten worse! I've just read in the Jakarta Post (Students told to nip bad habits in the bud) about a young high-school student who has become 'one of the 92 ambassadors of the Jakarta Stop AIDS campaign.' At 15 schools he has visited, he has told fellow students that "there is still a risk of contracting AIDS through the use of condoms because they have pores through which the virus can pass,” He says he learned what the Post rightly calls this 'scaremongering information' at a workshop organized by Unilever and Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (an NGO doing outreach on drugs to youth), and 'based on material from the National AIDS Commission.'

The one bit of good news is that the Post knows better, "According to the WHO, laboratory studies have found that viruses (including HIV) do not pass through intact latex condoms even when they are stretched or stressed," it states. At least we've made a little progress with some of members of the mass media.

Babé