A total of 305 million condoms purchased by the government for the first time with special funds for HIV/AIDS prevention have been sent to local centers of disease control (CDC) across the country, a condom producer said.

Contract

The government signed its first order for condoms with Gaobang Latex Products Manufactory, China's largest condom producer based in South China's tourist city of Guilin.

The government said it believes that the widespread use of condoms is an effective way to combat HIV/AIDS .

"Before an effective AIDS vaccine comes out, the condom is the most effective and economical way to prevent the disease from spreading through sex," said Tao Ran, a member of China Youth HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Fund.

The condoms will also be delivered to hotels and public entertainment places, according to Gaobang Latex Products Manufactory.

So far, 42 hotels in Guilin have accepted the government's free offer.

Official statistics show that among China's 840,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, 45 per cent get infected through drug injection, 25 per cent through blood transfusions and 30 per cent through unsafe sex, a factor which has been rising steadily.

Health experts called for carrying out "100 per cent" condom use programmes (CUP) in China.

Measures

The country is implementing CUPs in provinces such as Hubei, Yunnan and Jiangsu, and planning to cover other regions like Fujian and Beijing. Such measures, carrying the slogan "No Condom, No Sex," are designed to ensure easy and convenient access to condoms.

But condom quality and reasonable prices are yet to be guaranteed in the campaign, according to Zhao Pengfei, programme officer with the World Health Organization China Office.