Does a condom protect? An open letter to the Editor

The Philippine Star - newspaper issued on the 15^th of March a column written by Mr Jose C. Sison. The headline of the article was "The cause, not the remedy". Cite the beginning of the column as follows:

"My articles on artificial contraceptives never fail to elicit controversies. Sometimes there are even "violent" reactions that have nothing to do at all with the realities and the facts brought out and backed up by research and studies. Obviously these reactions come from people who could not accept anything contrary to what they have already framed in their minds. Truth must really hurt.

Others skirt the issue or cite studies that are already obsolete like the WHO report and the John Hopkins laboratory findings that condoms are effective in preventing HIV/AIDS and that the viruses of these diseases do not pass through intact latex condoms even if stretched. These studies are not only obsolete but obviously contrary to the recent findings by the Polymer Properties/Chemistry Section of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C. which found that that the diameter of microscopic holes of condoms are 500 to 700 times bigger than the HIV/AIDS viruses which means therefore that they can easily pass through and infect the sex partner.

Thus it is not even farfetched to connect the reported alarming rise in HIV/AIDS cases here to the free and open use of condoms; that the number of HIV/AIDS incidents are rising in this country to near epidemic proportion precisely because more people are now using condoms…"

That column raised in my mind a lot of questions. So I decided to email to Mr Sison and Editor Ramon M. Lim the following message:

"I am coming back to your column on "The cause, not remedy". You presented the claims I was confused. You description on infection of HIV viruses was very foggy and mysterious. There is medical knowledge about these facts. Why do you not share medical information on that? You appeal on the results of the study at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. That is not convincing me. On which platform are the results published? What is the position of that study in respect of the other medical research results? You wrote that the study mentioned above was "recent". As far as I know the former pope was using exactly the same arguments in the propaganda of the Catholic Church in Africa some years ago. The consequences are very sad to the whole people of the South Africa. You mix the medical science with your ethical concepts and this is dangerous. I hope that Philippine Star will publish an article on the HIV infection written by the medical expert of that field. Otherwise information of your newsletter is misleading."

I received next day from Mr Sison the message as follows:

"Since you have a different opinion than what I wrote then we can never arrive at any correct conclusion especially because you only attack me without backing them up with authentic proof. I am not trying to convince you. Let's end this exchange. It is useless."

Even then my questions seem to bother the Columnist I insist on my suspicions on the scientific basis of the study referred in the column to and I still require a proper responses based on medical studies on HIV-infection. The conclusions drawn by Mr Sison are very drastic for the prevention of HIV –infection. If The Philippine Star keeps silence with that issue, the opinion of the Columnist might be considered as a line of the newspaper.

Sincerely

Hannu Sorri