|
 Although
seven out of ten Indians are concerned about contracting HIV
/ AIDS or Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), a good
number are not protecting themselves. This was one of the
findings that has been established in a 'Global Sex Survey' carried
out by Durex (the world's leading condom brand). The survey
was done in 28 countries worldwide and has found that more than
a quarter of Indians (27%) are taking no measures to prevent the
spread of HIV/ AIDS. Of those who do, only 15% insist on a
condom for casual sex and only 10% would ask their partner about
their sexual history.
 T
T Raghunathan, Executive Vice Chairman, TTK Group, while
releasing the findings to the media in Chennai said that, though
the number of person using protection has increased, the large number
of people who choose to take risks is a worrying factor. "HIV
/ AIDS and infections such as Chlamydia present a real threat
to health and we will be continuing to work with healthcare professionals
throughout India to try and communicate this message" he said.
Some of the other interesting findings that the survey revealed
were that 77% of Indian adults have only one sexual partner, while
only 13% of British and 11% of American adults can boast of the
same. Indian teenagers also tend to protect their virginity
more than other nationalities, as the average age for first sexual
experience is 20.3 when compared with 16.9 for the British and 16
for the Americans.
Indian teenagers receive their first sex education in school at
an average age of 16.1 and four in ten (38%) have not learnt about
sex in the classroom. While both findings are disturbing,
the first factor is at present under a lot of scrutiny and debate.
While one camp says that sex education at an early age can lead
to permissiveness, the other camp is voicing out that it is better
to risk that than keep teenagers ignorant about 'safe sex'.
 For
28% of Indians, professionals such as doctors, nurses and family
planning specialists seem to be the preferred source of information
about sexual health. R Srinivasan, Marketing Manager,
TTK-LIG while presenting the findings said "A most disturbing
trend that emerges is that, only 5% of Indians prefer to learn about
sex at school, which could be a reliable source of information.
More than a quarter of them would prefer to learn abut sex from
their 'friends', who could be a very unreliable source of information".
TTK Group manufactures the Durex condoms in India and is the market
leader with a share of over 40%. Speaking about the market
for condoms in India, Raghunathan put it at 1.4 billion units every
year. The size of the commercial market he added would be
around 80 crores. TTK-LIG has sales of over 750 million condoms
and also exports 400 million condoms to more than 40 countries.
Their brands of condoms include Kohinoor, their flagship
brand Durex and Fiesta. The company is the largest
supplier of condoms to the Government of India for its family welfare
programme, having supplied over 4 billion condoms so far.
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6:21:26 PM 
