On Tuesday, Population Action International released highlights of a report showing donor support for condoms and contraceptives in developing countries remains far below estimated need. PAI will formally present the report next month at the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

HIV prevention must include condoms and contraceptives, which can help prevent unwanted pregnancies and attendant risks of mother-to-child HIV transmission, said Amy Coen, the organization's president and CEO.

"We really, really have to scale up and integrate condoms and contraceptives into HIV prevention," said Coen. "I don't think people realize that contraceptives are indeed a prevention strategy. They have to be available. You can't walk two days to a clinic with a baby on your back and find out there are no contraceptives in the clinic."

"An assessment was done a few years ago that showed that fewer than half of the people who wanted to use a condom during a sex act could obtain one," said Dr. Karen Hardee, the report's co-author. "That's inexcusable 20 years into the HIV epidemic. And despite the fact that there are 2.5 million new HIV infections that occur every year, overall donor support in developing countries for condoms has remained largely unchanged over the past few years. Of the estimated 18 billion condoms that were needed in 2006, for example, donors provided just 2.3 billion."

The report also criticized the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, saying it emphasizes abstinence over condoms. PEPFAR officials said condoms remain a large part of their efforts, and added that abstinence and monogamy do not receive enough attention.

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