Dear Editor,

Mr.Eusi Kwayana commands an influential voice in our community. I am concerned about the potential impact of his two recent letters questioning the effectiveness of condoms (SN. 01 08 and 01 15)

He admits that condoms are a valuable instrument in the fight against the transmission of HIV/AIDS. He merely questions the degree of that effectiveness.

But in a culture in which we are still struggling to achieve a radical improvement in the use of the condom in order to contain the rampant spread of HIV, his questions could undermine that campaign. His search for technical precision could serve to destroy the much larger goal he supports.

I am disturbed that he would have been a joint signature to a letter without first verifying the authenticity of his colleague's surprising claim.

What we need now is for all influential voices to join in giving positive support to strong messages of sexual responsibility, including the use of condoms. We don't need to be sewing seeds of doubt and ambivalence.