“Given sexual transmission of Zika virus is of increasing importance, the potent activity of Starpharma’s VivaGel against Zika could prove very significant”, said Starpharma chief executive officer Jackie Fairley.
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Australian Olympian, Morgan Mitchell speaks to the media during the Australian Olympic Games Official Uniform Launch at the Park Hyatt Hotel on April 19, 2016, in Sydney, Australia.
“Promoting condom use is always welcome, and we applaud that”, said Dr. Lila Abassi, M.D., MPH, Director of Medicine at the American Council on Science and Health. For male athletes and workers thinking about becoming a father, practicing safe sex or abstaining from sex during the trip to Brazil will help stop the spread to their female partners.
The condoms will be lubricated with a product called VivaGel, which Starpharma claims shows “near-complete antiviral protection” against Zika.
The World Health Organization shares the concern of many athletes and sports fans over the possibility of contracting the Zika virus while in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games in August, but it said that the decision over whether or not to go must be an individual one.
“The health and wellbeing of the team comes first, and our association with Starpharma will provide extra protection for everyone on the team”, AOC head Kitty Chiller said. The condoms will protect users from the Zika virus as well as HIV, HSV (genital herpes) and HPV (human papillomavirus) and other sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).
The Zika virus is an epidemic in Central and Latin America, and it has been declared as a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.
Indeed, there’s no downside to these companies making this nationalistic, no-cost gesture, in an effort to support Australia’s Olympic athletes.
In some cases, it may not cause risky problems or symptoms.
Ms Chan noted that although Zika has been around for decades, it is only recently that the virus has been proven to cause severe birth defects and neurological problems – including in newborn children. Both agencies recommend using condoms after being in places where the virus is spreading. Neither agency has advised using a condom with an anti-viral treatment.
It has been verified that the virus is in semen and can be transmitted by exchanging this body fluid.
When used correctly, any condom should be able to effectively trap semen and stop the spread of the virus, says Andrew Ustianowski, consultant in infectious diseases at North Manchester General Hospital in the United Kingdom.
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Capt. Martin S. Cetron from the Centers for Disease Control, is on the panel.
