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Two million. This is the number of free condoms that were distributed in January 2023. Since the introduction of free condoms for those under 26, requests have exploded in pharmacies.
90,000 beneficiaries of free condoms
Last December, Emmanuel Macron announced the introduction of free condoms for minors and young people up to 26 years old. Thanks to this effective prevention measure since January 1, 2023, a total of nearly 90,000 young people have been able to benefit from this contraceptive device free of charge.
Moreover, since the introduction of this preventive measure, the number of participating pharmacies has increased. Nearly 16,000 pharmacies issued at least one box of condoms this year compared to 12,000 in 2022.
On Twitter, the Minister of Health François Braun, congratulates the implementation of this measure. “This is the direct effect of the announcement of@EmmanuelMacron and it’s one more step towards our prevention revolution @Sante_Gouv”. He also adds that last year at the same time, only 500,000 condoms were distributed.
In January, 2 million condoms were reimbursed by health insurance for those under 26, compared to 500,000 in the same period last year. This is the direct effect of the announcement of@EmmanuelMacron and it’s one more step towards our prevention revolution @Sante_Gouv pic.twitter.com/74J7BMcRDJ
— Francois Braun (@FrcsBraun) February 8, 2023
A measure to fight against STIs
As a reminder, this measure had been described by Emmanuel Macron as a “small revolution”. Before this reform saw the light of day, it was necessary to have a prescription to benefit from free condoms.
Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise among young people. This is why we are embarking on a small prevention revolution: https://t.co/x80Cvlo8x9
—Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 8, 2022
The implementation of this preventive measure makes it possible to fight against this public health issue of STIs, especially among young people. In 2021, almost 5,000 new cases of HIV were discovered according to the Sidaction. According to Public health France15% of people who discovered their HIV status were young people under the age of 25.
Now, the government’s goal is for the country to reach zero sexually transmitted diseases by 2030.