Bill Gate Offer $100,000 for Condom Production as 15 Billion Condom is Produce Annually
the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation is offering a $100,000 startup grant to the person who
designs "the next generation condom that significantly preserves or
enhances pleasure" and promotes "regular use."
It may sound like the
setup for a joke, but the goal is deadly serious. While researchers call
condoms one of the best ways to stop the spread of HIV, the virus that
causes AIDS, getting people to use them is another story.
The foundation wants to
see something that will lead men and women outside of a committed
relationship to stop and think twice before having unprotected sex. The
startup grant could lead to $1 million in further funding.
"Male condoms are cheap,
easy to manufacture, easy to distribute, and available globally,
including in resource-poor settings, through numerous well-developed
distribution channels," the foundation says. Nevertheless, many people
are reluctant to use them because they complain that prophylactics
interfere with pleasure and intimacy. This creates "a trade-off that
many men find unacceptable," the foundation notes.
15 Billion Condom Produce Annually
About 15 billion condoms are made every year and used by about 750 million people.
If used correctly, male condoms are 98% effective against pregnancy. Condoms also help protect both partners from sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea.
Female condoms, put inside the vagina before sex, are 95% effective if used correctly.
Condom use has been traced back to ancient Egypt and even cave paintings in France.
Although condoms have been in use for centuries, Gates says there have not been many advances in condom technology in the last 50 years.
