CARNAL NATION

Police in China's Hunan province have arrested four people who operated an illegal factory that produced and distributed more than 2 million counterfeit condoms. “This is by far the largest case involving producing and selling fake condoms in Hunan Province," said one of the arresting officers. In a 20-square-meter workshop, bare-chested employees were found lubricating latex condoms with vegetable oil and packaging them unsterilized in fiber bags. The condoms were then distributed throughout China packaged as such well-known brands as Durex, Rough Rider, Six Sense, and Love Card. The illegal factory is believed to have earned 80,000 yuan (US$11,700) since it began production in March of this year. The owner of the busted workshop told reporters, “All my products are genuine and sourced from the authorised agencies of the manufacturers.”

Oil of any kind will degrade latex, rendering condoms virtually useless for preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. The lack of sterilization combined with the vegetable oil could create unsafe levels of bacteria that might sicken users, especially women. Despite these risks, counterfeit condoms have become big business due to the lower prices. A pack of 12 counterfeit Durex condoms sells on the Internet for 15 yuan (US$2.19) compared with 49 yuan (US$7.17) for a 12-pack of real Durex condoms purchased in a shop. China is the fourth largest condom market in the world, with annual sales topping $3.3 billion.

Contraceptives are very important in China due to the nation's stringent one-child-per-couple policy. Furthermore, the country's rapid economic expansion coupled with an influx of migrant labor has caused STD rates to skyrocket. HIV infection rates in the People's Republic have been rising sharply since the mid-1990s, largely through intravenous drug use, prostitution, and unprotect sex. It is conservatively estimated that between 430,000 to 1.5 million people in China are infected with the virus that causes AIDS. In addition, there has been a ten-fold increase in the number of cases of syphilis in China over the past decade. Media reports estimate that the rate of syphilis infection is increasing by 30 percent each year. Counterfeit condoms will certainly augment these figures.