More than 110 million Chinese-made condoms have been seized in Ghana after laboratory tests revealed they were faulty, Ghanaian officials have said.<\/p>\n
“There are holes in them and… the condoms burst easily,” a spokesman for Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) complained.<\/p>\n
The condoms were being distributed free as part of an HIV\/Aids prevention campaign by the Ghana Health Service.<\/p>\n
About 200 million of the faulty condoms are believed to have been imported into the country.<\/p>\n
The condom packaging is silvery white with a red Aids ribbon incorporated into the design and the words “Be Safe” also in red.<\/p>\n
The FDA has issued an alert about their safety.<\/p>\n
Thomas Amedzro, head of drug enforcement at the FDA, said the condoms had been imported via Kenya from a Chinese manufacturer.<\/p>\n
All imported condoms are supposed to be tested by the FDA before distribution, he said.<\/p>\n
“Somehow there was a lapse; the batches of the condoms were not submitted as duly required for the appropriate testing to be conducted,” he told media.<\/p>\n
Anybody using them could be “exposed to sexually transmitted infections or be saddled with unwanted pregnancies”, Mr Amedzro said.<\/p>\n
“You may not be able to see the holes with your naked eye but when you look at it under the microscope you can see holes,” he said.<\/p>\n
They were also not adequately lubricated, the FDA said.<\/p>\n
The health service took delivery of the condoms in February this year, but they arrived in the country in the last quarter of 2012.<\/p>\n
“Since the alert went out, a number of individuals and organisations have already reported to us that they have stocks, which we are already retrieving,” Mr Amedzro said.<\/p>\n
A publicity campaign was underway to ensure that all the other unsafe condoms were found, he added.<\/p>\n
According to UN figures, an estimated 230,000 people in Ghana, which has a population of 25 million, are living with HIV.<\/p>\n
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