Unfortunately, hopes were dashed when more recent studies — including a four-year World Health Organization study of HIV-negative female sex workers in Africa and Thailand — showed N-9 to be ineffective in the prevention of HIV infection. In fact, researchers discovered that when used frequently, products containing N-9 may even increase the risk of acquiring the virus.
Understanding what N-9 can and cannot do can be daunting, much less making the right choices regarding its use. Below, Rowena Johnston, Ph.D., Associate Director of Basic Research at the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), shares the latest findings about N-9 and stresses correct condom use as still the best defense against HIV transmission for men and women alike.
Are condoms a foolproof method of HIV prevention?
If everybody used them all the time, condoms would do a good job of slowing down transmission. The problem is that people don't use condoms all the time. People often feel uncomfortable insisting on the use of a condom with their partner. We really need products that don't require a partner's consent. That way, we'd feel free to protect ourselves and take charge of our own health.
Many people think they are at low risk for HIV, so why take the trouble to use a condom?
Some women may think of themselves as fairly low-risk and therefore might not insist on the use of condoms. But that's a serious mistake. There are straight men out there, too, who don't think they need to protect themselves from infection because they still think HIV is a "gay" disease.
