Spain to Send 1 Million Condoms to Africa to Fight AIDS

One day after Pope Benedict XVI spoke out against the use of condoms to fight AIDS in Africa, Spain announced plans to send 1 million condoms to the continent. "Condoms have been demonstrated to be a necessary element in prevention policies and an efficient barrier against the virus, according to laboratory studies," the health ministry said in a statement. "The objective is to advance the prevention of this epidemic, which affects 33 million people all over the world, two-thirds of them in Africa," the statement said. On his flight to Africa Tuesday, the pontiff told reporters that AIDS "cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems." Many governments and activists expressed strong disagreement with his remarks, which they said could harm efforts to halt the spread of HIV in Africa.

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