Celebrate Condoms with AHF UK on International Condom Day

CROYDON & LONDON, United Kingdom--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) UK invites everyone to join the movement this International Condom Day (ICD) to celebrate condoms and discover fun, creative ways to promote condom use – a simple yet powerful way to stay safer. This year, AHF UK will commemorate ICD on Thursday, 13 February, at Croydon College (12:00-3:00 p.m.) and a sold-out Impulse London Grind Date (7:30-10:30 p.m.) event with exciting activities, free condom distribution, and engaging education on condom use.

Despite more than 1 million STIs being acquired daily worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, condom use is declining in many parts of the world. Ending HIV/AIDS must include prioritizing the prevention of new HIV cases – a goal that cannot be achieved without promoting condoms as an essential tool.

To address this, AHF UK’s ICD events will include promoting condom use for safer sex, distributing free condoms, free HIV and STI testing, and information and advice on HIV and sexual health overall.

WHAT:	AHF UK commemorates INTERNATIONAL CONDOM DAY with free condoms, HIV/STI testing, education, and information
WHEN:	Thursday, 13 February at 12:00-3:00 p.m.
WHERE:	Croydon College, College Rd, Croydon CR9 1DX
WHO:	• Names of official participants
	• Croydon College
	• Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
	• Kunsaka
	• and volunteers
NEWS DESK NOTE & VISUALS:	There will be balloons, free condoms, free giveaways, HIV/sexual health information and advice, and rapid testing for HIV, Hep B, Hep C & syphilis

AND

WHAT:	AHF UK commemorates INTERNATIONAL CONDOM DAY with a SOLD-OUT game show-inspired social event that’s all about making real connections – no pressure, no expectations.
WHEN:	Thursday, 13 February at 7:30-10:30 p.m.
WHERE:	Impulse London Grind Date at The Rising, 98 Harper Rd, London SE1 6AQ
WHO:	Rileasa Slaves, recent Drag Race UK Season 6 finalist, and Leander, London's renowned ginger hottie.
NEWS DESK NOTE & VISUALS:	A playful twist on the classic Blind Date format, Grind Date will feature two rounds of matchmaking fun with three audience members each. Lucky winners will enjoy a private booth for a one-on-one chat after the show.

“International Condom Day is a great opportunity to promote safer sex and to emphasise the importance of condom use for protection. We invite you to take action by starting or continuing to use condoms regularly, which means you can have fun while greatly decreasing the risk of HIV, other STIs, and unplanned pregnancy,” said Beatrice Nabulya, Testing & Volunteer Lead at AHF UK. “This is also National HIV Testing Week in the UK. We encourage regular testing for HIV and other STIs and for adults under 25 years old to sign up for the C-card program at sexual health clinics, which offer free condoms. AHF UK also provides free condoms at our testing sites.”

According to the UK Health Security Agency, the number of new STIs diagnosed among Croydon residents in 2023 was 4,356. The rate was 1,111 per 100,000 residents, higher than 704 per 100,000 in England. The chlamydia detection rate per 100,000 females aged 15 to 24 years in Croydon was 2,778 in 2023, similar to the rate of 1,962 for England.

"In Europe, condoms are vital for combating HIV and rising STI rates, yet taxation and classifying condoms as medical devices often inflate costs," said Daniel Reijer, AHF Europe Bureau Chief. "This International Condom Day, we urge policymakers to remove financial barriers and promote education to normalize and prioritize condom use because condoms remain the most cost-effective method of protecting against HIV and other STIs."

Observed annually on 13 February, International Condom Day brings awareness about the importance of condoms and other vital sexual health issues. On ICD and beyond, we remind everyone that condoms are safer, sexy, and your best protection against HIV, other STIs, and unplanned pregnancies.

AHF created ICD in 2009. Visit LOVEcondoms.org to learn more.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a global non-profit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 2 million people in 48 countries worldwide in Africa, the Americas, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Europe. We are currently the largest non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the world. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.