Tanzania’s health minister Ummy Mwalimu has declared personal lubricants are banned in the African Nation.

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The health minister claims that lubricants allow men to have sex with each other and has declared that the money spent on lubricants in the country’s health budget will now go to creating more beds for the maternity wards.

‘It is true that the government has banned the importation and use of the jelly to curb the spread of HIV,” Mwalimu told local media on Tuesday.

It is estimated that 23% of men who have sex with men in the African Nation are HIV positive.

The health ministers decision to stop access to lubrication is likely to have a backwards effect on stopping the rise of new HIV infections as anal sex without lubrication is more likely to lead to situations where people can become infected with the virus.

Homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania and gay people face a life long prison sentence if convicted.  The Health ministers ban on the importation of lubricant follows a crackdown on LGBT people in the nations capital Dar es Salaam.

The newly appointed regional commissioner for the port city, Paul Makonda, announced a major crackdown against gay people this month, followed by arrests of suspected gays in clubs. The police have also indicated they will use social media to track down LGBT people.

OIP Staff