A young Gambian man, who requested anonymity, has raised concerns over the alleged sale of expired condoms in pharmacies and other outlets, calling on authorities to strengthen monitoring of products entering the market.
Speaking to What’s On-Gambia, the man said he recently purchased a condom from a pharmacy but discovered, when he opened the package for use, that it was extremely dry and appeared to have no lubricant.
He said he subsequently checked the packaging and was shocked to discover that the condom had expired two years earlier.
“Honestly, I am extremely unhappy, frustrated, and angry about the situation of expired products in our market,” he wrote.
According to the man, the incident left him unable to use the condom and raised concerns about the potential risks to consumers if expired products continue to be sold.
“If expired products are being sold in pharmacies, people’s health and safety are being put at serious risk,” he said, calling for stronger monitoring and accountability to ensure expired products are identified and removed from the market.
Health experts generally advise consumers not to use condoms beyond their expiration date. Over time, condom materials such as latex can deteriorate, potentially making them more likely to break and reducing their reliability in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The incident has renewed calls for pharmacies and other retailers to carefully check the expiry dates and condition of sexual health products before putting them on sale.