HIV - condoms

I think it is a catholic country where public and private behaviors are kept well separated. I don't know where you live, but I don't see signs or prominent displays of condoms anywhere in the touristy areas of my town. for awhile there was a condom store. Boston is a college town, pretty liberal. Condoms are always tucked away, never in a prominent spot in drug stores or supermarkets. If you don't see it, then it doesn't happen.

What do you think ? That you can buy one in pharmacy, it's the life !

Availibilty is there - problem is lack of education, ignorance and criminal behaviour

Rep Dom said:

And I'm just suprised to see that there is no so many places where one can buy condoms. No distributor, no display in supermarkets... What do you think?

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Think you are totally wrong.
DR may be is the country with the most availibilty of the product.
All the small "colmados" you find on every corner have them and price of the cheap ones is affordable even for the poor, considering that it costs less then even 1 day of milk for a baby.
All drug stores, all supermarkets carry them.

Full container loads are coming in with Durex and a lot more cheap ones and all distributors/sales people visting the colmados daily carry this kind of product.
Tried to distribute a quality brand, but totally unknown in the local market, and could not compete against the cheep but good ones made in Thailand, China etc. (was a lesson on value of a brand like Durex).
Also most of the "cabanas" (Motels) and budget hotels rented by the hour (preferred by locals) have them in their rooms.
So it is not a question of availibility.

Educational programs that reach the majority are not in affect.

Criminal behaviour, because it is the rule and not the exception, that both male and females knowing that they are infected go for unprotected relations. I do not know why, but heard several cases about this.
Also locals in nightlife that know about a girl infected do not bother to warn a tourist if they see someone picking up an infected local. This behaviour affects the locals most, not only tourists.
Be careful

Alexander

Go in any pharmacy and you'll see them all in display, front and center...

fuchs4d said:

Think you are totally wrong.
DR may be is the country with the most availibilty of the product.
All the small "colmados" you find on every corner have them and price of the cheap ones is affordable even for the poor, considering that it costs less then even 1 day of milk for a baby.
All drug stores, all supermarkets carry them.

Full container loads are coming in with Durex and a lot more cheap ones and all distributors/sales people visting the colmados daily carry this kind of product.
Tried to distribute a quality brand, but totally unknown in the local market, and could not compete against the cheep but good ones made in Thailand, China etc. (was a lesson on value of a brand like Durex).
Also most of the "cabanas" (Motels) and budget hotels rented by the hour (preferred by locals) have them in their rooms.
So it is not a question of availibility.

Educational programs that reach the majority are not in affect.

Criminal behaviour, because it is the rule and not the exception, that both male and females knowing that they are infected go for unprotected relations. I do not know why, but heard several cases about this.
Also locals in nightlife that know about a girl infected do not bother to warn a tourist if they see someone picking up an infected local. This behaviour affects the locals most, not only tourists.
Be careful

Alexander

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The PANTE brand of condom is actually supplied by USAID and is the "cheap" brand.. it is distributed by Population Services International and is made by the same manufacturer as Durex.. so NOT a lesser quality than the name brands.. IT could actually be given away but the NGO found that it was not valued if it was free. It has been tested and tested and is no more likely to break than any other condom.

Be aware, however, that the tropical sun will break down the condom material faster.. so do not keep it in the glove compartment or your wallet for a long period of time and be sure to check for the expiration date.

PSI started having them for sale in colmados after they did a study finding that there were no condoms for sale near the areas with the hightest HIV rates.. and so they started distribution to the colmados.

PSI also has a program where former sex workers box the condoms and then go out into the communities and sell them to sex workers and explain to them how to put them on and negotiate with them how to put them on their partners and clients. This job// of packaging and selling the condoms, gives the sex workers an alternative to working the streets and something on their "resume".. and gets the message out to the streets.

(I work with PSI as a volunteer)

Condoms also protect (somewhat) against herpes, and other sexual diseases.

The HIV rate among sex workers is much higher than in the regular population.. and, although decreasing, is still the highest in the region.

While transmission of the HIV virus was initially predominianty male to male, now the highest transmission rate is from heterosexual sex. And from shared needles,

Never have sex here without using a condom.

in poland condoms are displayed at the till, with chocolate bars and chewing gum. come to think of it i have not seen it here in DR. but all pharmacies and colmados have them at different price range, from about 20 pesos per package to 100 or so (3 condoms).

i would disagree with MA on the quality of pante condoms. they are strong and sturdy but very basic and rather thick. durex is nicer and come in large variety. but pante serves its purpose and is cheap. we also used to sell other brands of cheap condoms, fruit flavoured, they were very popular too.

condoms are also distributed free in salud publica where free contraception is also available. the issue is not in availability not the price, it's in willingness to use the product. men do not like condoms much and women do not like contraceptives. education level is very poor so people do not really understand how the condoms also protect from diseases and how contraceptives help to regulate the cycle.

Dominicans and many people in the DR, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua etc. it is not just the locals many expats and tourists move to these places and leave their common sense at home.

If you are out late partying in cities like Miami, San Diego, D.C. NYC, LA, New Orleans etc and you stop any guy and ask him if he have an extra condom 98% of the men will say yes and give you one, but in places like DR and Panama NOBODY has a condom because they do not use them.

You can have a store called " Free Condoms" in DR and it will not make a difference and for this reason is why I NEVER EVER have sex in any Latin American country any more. The lack of respect people have for their body is mind blowing.

BTW Any man that have sex with a woman in Sosua or Boca Chica with or without a condom should have their head examined. Condoms are SAFER then not using anything at all but they are NOT a 100% safe. For a man to hop in the bed with a woman or man( I don't judge) in a place like BC and Sosua where he or she has ZERO respect for their body is foolish.

There is a very SMALL % of Dominican women that sleep with tourists and gringos and because the pool is so small many of these men SHARE sex partners. Therefore it is much easier to pass diseases around in these areas from one person to another. If a man is having sex in Dominican Republic RAW!!! chances are he had sex in Thailand raw and any other place where sex tourism is big.

Dominicans, expats in DR and tourists LOVE having sex unprotected and no display of (free) condoms or condoms for sale will change this.

Rep Dom said:

I know they are sold in pharmacies
that is the point of my thread...

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What is the point of your thread?
Are condoms on the aisle caps in Publix or Safeway?
You can buy a Jimmy Hat on every block in NYC @ a bodega or every colmodo in Santo Domingo.

well, DV8. I was just speaking to the issue of being cheap.. and made in china.. Pante may be thicker.. but then, well, less likely to break.. they are doing a new roll out in marketing.. going to have colors, etc.. although I am not sure what the etc really means.. or whether they have changed the texture. The issue was really to stop the spread of HIV, And, for myself, I do not see the draw of different colors.. ie green and yellow? but.. well.. We will see.

Anyway.. the issue is that YES the HIV rate here among sex workers is high and YES you should assume that your professional partner may be HIV positive (kinda cuts the buzz, right?) and YES you should ALWAYS wear a condom.

note that one does not have to have symptoms to be HIV positive and contagious.. that men here are reluctant to use contoms, and that (sorry.. another buzz kill coming) HIV transmission appears to be higher with uncircumcised males...

So WEAR A CONDOM

yeah, i also see no point of colours, who wants to bounce up and down a green dick? flavours do make sense, thou. they hide the nasty smell and taste of the latex.

JMB773 said:

Dominicans and many people in the DR, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua etc. it is not just the locals many expats and tourists move to these places and leave their common sense at home.

If you are out late partying in cities like Miami, San Diego, D.C. NYC, LA, New Orleans etc and you stop any guy and ask him if he have an extra condom 98% of the men will say yes and give you one, but in places like DR and Panama NOBODY has a condom because they do not use them.

You can have a store called " Free Condoms" in DR and it will not make a difference and for this reason is why I NEVER EVER have sex in any Latin American country any more. The lack of respect people have for their body is mind blowing.

BTW Any man that have sex with a woman in Sosua or Boca Chica with or without a condom should have their head examined. Condoms are SAFER then not using anything at all but they are NOT a 100% safe. For a man to hop in the bed with a woman or man( I don't judge) in a place like BC and Sosua where he or she has ZERO respect for their body is foolish.

There is a very SMALL % of Dominican women that sleep with tourists and gringos and because the pool is so small many of these men SHARE sex partners. Therefore it is much easier to pass diseases around in these areas from one person to another. If a man is having sex in Dominican Republic RAW!!! chances are he had sex in Thailand raw and any other place where sex tourism is big.

Dominicans, expats in DR and tourists LOVE having sex unprotected and no display of (free) condoms or condoms for sale will change this.

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Actually, I think that the amount of women willing to have sex with gringos is fairly large. Any tourist will tell you that going out, especially with that brightly colored wristband, is like a target for every woman looking to get a quick influx in cash. Many tourist are approached so much, that they leave thinking that just about every woman here has a price. Now we know this is not true, but you must admit, there are a lot more normal and working girls, willing to have one-night stands (if you'll call it that) with gringos and others with money, than many other places in the world.

I definitely agree that you should be wrapping it up. It's the 21st century, that's a given. Where you are doesn't matter, but especially in the DR.

JMB773 said:

There is a very SMALL % of Dominican women that sleep with tourists and gringos and because the pool is so small many of these men SHARE sex partners.

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Man, you have not travelled the country have you?




Yes, bag it.

ramesses said:

Man, you have not travelled the country have you?




Yes, bag it.

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How many men you know will enjoy traveling to San Pedro, San Cristobal, San Juan, SFDM, etc. looking for sex partners. I am not talking about men like you. If you have been roaming the island of Dominican Republic since 2005 I pretty sure you have many "booty calls" all over DR. I am talking about the men who have 1 or 2 visits under their bet and they usually stay in place with other tourists and in DR when you see tourists you will also see "putas"

BTW I enjoy roaming the island of DR as much as I enjoyed getting audited by the IRS, so yes you have me beat in this area.

JMB773 said:

How many men you know will enjoy traveling to San Pedro, San Cristobal, San Juan, SFDM, etc. looking for sex partners. I am not talking about men like you. If you have been roaming the island of Dominican Republic since 2005 I pretty sure you have many "booty calls" all over DR. I am talking about the men who have 1 or 2 visits under their bet and they usually stay in place with other tourists and in DR when you see tourists you will also see "putas"

BTW I enjoy roaming the island of DR as much as I enjoyed getting audited by the IRS, so yes you have me beat in this area.

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You have been badly damaged when visiting the DR. My experiences are totally the opposite from yours. Sorry. I am sad for you.

ramesses said:

You have been badly damaged when visiting the DR. My experiences are totally the opposite from yours. Sorry. I am sad for you.

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If I am JMB773 and you are ramesses how can you and I have the same experiences?? You and I are two totally different people. The Dominican Republic is a place on the map and a place where my ex wife and youngest daughter live, it is not a LIFE SYTLE for me.

You are the one that stated I do not travel the country and try to imply that I do not know about the DR. If you want me admit you know MORE about DR I will LOL I have no problem with this I am not a Dominican male so I shouldn't know everything about DR or Dominicans. I know and understand very little in this world and I am okay with this.

You are not Dominican yet you know so much about DR, the culture and the women by your post above. I am not trying to be a "wise guy" but you should feel good about learning and adapting to a group of people that are not your own. If I walked and ask the average human " Sanchez, Mella, and Duarte means what to you" I would get a blank look, but you will know exactly what these names mean. If also stated Dominicans do not drink beer other then a special occasion you STOP me in my tracks LOL!!!

You know about Dominicans and I know and love ALL things about WOLVES because they are my favorite animals. I can tell you everything about wolves just like you can tell me all about Dominicans. I took my GF to see the movie " The Grey" about wolves and I was ROOTING for the wolves against the humans. My GF thought I was crazy. I LOVE wolves!!!!

I will stick to my LOVE of the WOLF and you stick to your love of Dominicans and we both can be happy LOL!!

BTW just because my experience were different then yours doesn't mean they were bad.

JMB773 said:

If I am JMB773 and you are ramesses how can you and I have the same experiences?? You and I are two totally different people. The Dominican Republic is a place on the map and a place where my ex wife and youngest daughter live, it is not a LIFE SYTLE for me.

You are the one that stated I do not travel the country and try to imply that I do not know about the DR. If you want me admit you know MORE about DR I will LOL I have no problem with this I am not a Dominican male so I shouldn't know everything about DR or Dominicans. I know and understand very little in this world and I am okay with this.

You are not Dominican yet you know so much about DR, the culture and the women by your post above. I am not trying to be a "wise guy" but you should feel good about learning and adapting to a group of people that are not your own. If I walked and ask the average human " Sanchez, Mella, and Duarte means what to you" I would get a blank look, but you will know exactly what these names mean. If also stated Dominicans do not drink beer other then a special occasion you STOP me in my tracks LOL!!!

You know about Dominicans and I know and love ALL things about WOLVES because they are my favorite animals. I can tell you everything about wolves just like you can tell me all about Dominicans. I took my GF to see the movie " The Grey" about wolves and I was ROOTING for the wolves against the humans. My GF thought I was crazy. I LOVE wolves!!!!

I will stick to my LOVE of the WOLF and you stick to your love of Dominicans and we both can be happy LOL!!

BTW just because my experience were different then yours doesn't mean they were bad.

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Where did I state I understood anything. I simply stated my experiences were the opposite of what you are saying. I stated I am sorry your experiences were not better....why else would you be so negative about all thing Dominican? If they were good, why the negativity?

I will add, yes I am happy I feel good here and enjoy my time on my adopted island. It is not a lifestyle for me...I live my life here.

ramesses said:

Where did I state I understood anything. I simply stated my experiences were the opposite of what you are saying. I stated I am sorry your experiences were not better....why else would you be so negative about all thing Dominican? If they were good, why the negativity?

I will add, yes I am happy I feel good here and enjoy my time on my adopted island. It is not a lifestyle for me...I live my life here.

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@Ramesses - Do you often debate with tree stumps?

ramesses said:

Where did I state I understood anything. I simply stated my experiences were the opposite of what you are saying. I stated I am sorry your experiences were not better....why else would you be so negative about all thing Dominican? If they were good, why the negativity?

I will add, yes I am happy I feel good here and enjoy my time on my adopted island. It is not a lifestyle for me...I live my life here.

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Have you ever witness me interact with Dominicans in DR or NYC?? What if I told you I am one of the few posters on DR1 that have a boat load of Dominican friends outside of DR.

You know this for a fact I am negative everything Dominican??? The Dominican Republic, DR1 and Dominican people are all totally different from each other. Santo Domingo Dominicans, NYC Dominicans and Chicago Dominicans are all different people and I know all three groups pretty well.

In DR many of you expats can walk into any bar or colmado without any looks, but if any of you tried to walk into a bar or club frequent only by Dominicans in Chicago I PROMISE YOU somebody will ask you " are sure your in the right place" Believe it or not there are more Dominicans in the world then just the ones you encounter.

I am happy you enjoy you life in DR, but I have known Dominicans ALL my life not just the ones in DR. Many of you travel to DR and fell in love with the everything Dominican and that is cool. Really it is.

BTW I can give you the address of a place here in Chicago where many of my Dominican friends hangout and you are more then welcomed to share your stories about me on DR1 and my negativity, but I don't think they will listen to you. In your mind Dominicans= Dominican Republic and they will be the 1st to tell you different.