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Article: Latex condoms lesson risks of STDs. (sexually transmitted diseases)
- Article from:
- FDA Consumer
- Article date:
- September 1, 1990
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Latex Condoms Lessen Risks of STDs
Condoms, one of the oldest forms of birth control, have for decades also been used to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) even though little scientific information to endorse this practice was then available. In this instance, "street smarts" turned out to be right.
With the discovery in the 1980s that the AIDS virus can be transmitted during sexual activity, the condom, which the Food and Drug Administration regulates as a medical device, was scrutinized more closely. Laboratory studies showed that condoms can block passage of the AIDS virus as well as agents responsible for other STDs.
The only sure ...