Global scientific evidence contradicts Albino's statements on condoms – 07/26/2018

Dr. Abel Albino's statements in the Senate generated a mixture of disbelief and indignation, especially because of the lack of scientific rigor that they had. The Minister of Health of the Nation, Adolfo Rubinstein, described his claims as "barbarians".

"The prophylactic does not protect anything, because the AIDS virus pbades through the porcelain .The AIDS virus pbades through the porcelain, the boys," was one of the sentences that awakened the greater repudiation after Albino's paper of this Wednesday

The reaction was immediate.Nine scientific societies came out at the crossroads of these statements: " We are obliged to denounce vigorously their falseness ]. The whole of the specialized scientific literature and good medical practice strongly recommend the use of condoms as one of the most effective ways to prevent badual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) and other infectious agents. "

The declaration is signed by the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases, Huésped Foundation, Argentine Society of Medicine, Argentine Association of Microbiology, Argentine Society of Vaccinology and Epidemiology, Argentine Society of Clinical Research, Argentine Society of 39, Immunology, Argentine Society of Virology, INBIRS, CONICET and UBA

This Thursday, in statements to C5N, Dr. Pedro Cahn Scientific Director of the Guest Foundation and international reference in the fight He declared that the statements of Albino "are incorrect, they only confuse them." The HIV virus is transmitted through badual intercourse, through sperm, badl or blood secretions As for the badual route, the condom is not made of porcelain, it does not filter Viruses are parasite It's mandatory, that is, they can not live outside another cell, which needs to be filtered, these are the cells, "he added. and they are fixed when it filters the water, it does not filter the water. What remains to be established is if the statements of Albino come from ignorance, bad faith or both .

According to official information from the Ministry of Health, "in Argentina there are about 126,000 people living with HIV, 30% of whom are unaware of their diagnosis; there continues to be about 6,500 infections each year, of which 90% occur during unprotected bad . "

In turn, 2016 data from the UNAIDS (UN AIDS) unit indicate that it is estimated that through the use of condoms" 45 million HIV infections have been warned since 1991 throughout the world . "

A report from the CDC (Center for Disease Control, for its The United States states that" the effectiveness of condoms in the prevention of STDs (badually transmitted diseases) and HIV has been demonstrated both by epidemiological and laboratory studies Condom efficacy is verified on the basis of theoretical and empirical data. on the transmission of different STDs, the physical properties of condoms and the protection or anatomical coverage they provide. "

Precisely, adds the report," studies Laboratory tests have shown that the condoms in latex act as an effective barrier even against the smallest microorganisms of STDs. "

" Epidemiological studies that compare the rates of HIV infection between people who use condoms and those who do not use them during bad and who have an HIV-infected badual partner show that the consistent use of condoms is very effective in preventing HIV " , adds the CDC on its website.

Another report, in this The American Foundation for AIDS Research, conducted in 2005, also highlights the effectiveness of condoms as a method of prevention. Laboratory studies, including those conducted by the FDA, have established that latex condoms for men are essentially impervious to particles the size of the pathogens that cause STDs, including HIV. . Therefore, they provide a very effective barrier method when they are used in the right way, "he says.

The same organization highlights a program carried out by the Government of Thailand in 2000: "In the 100% Conservative program, the Thai government made it mandatory to use condoms for bad workers and their clients . As a result, the use of condoms has increased and it has been estimated that the number of new HIV infections in Thailand was reduced by more than 80% by the end of 2000 . "