The current edition of The Economist includes this letter:
I do not think you were entirely fair when criticising the pope for saying that condoms are not useful for preventing AIDS in Africa (?Sex and sensibility?, March 21st). Some of your reasoning was based on mistaken and biased information about AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). You cited Thailand, for example, but did not mention the increase in STI among its youth despite the extensive promotion of condoms there. In Spain STI are also on the rise, even though the use of condoms among its young people is the highest in Europe.
Recent studies in leading science journals show that condoms have not been effective as a primary prevention strategy to tackle the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Sadly, there is no magic bullet.
Dr Miguel A. Mart?nez-Gonz?lez
Professor and chair Department of preventive medicine
University of Navarra
Pamplona, Spain
Have the condom manufacturers been bribing the public-health officials? Or is Dr Mart?nez-Gonz?lez perhaps mistaken?