No immediate risk of condom shortage amid Iran war disruptions: CDC

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) Taiwan has over half a year's supply of condoms, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Thursday, amid fears of deepening supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran.

CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) made the comments when asked in a reporters' group chat about news that Malaysia's Karex, the world's biggest condom maker, would raise its prices by 20 to 30 percent or more if Iran war-related disruptions continue.

Tseng said the CDC had contacted Taiwan's three largest condom manufacturers, who confirmed that current domestic supplies were sufficient for at least half a year and that they had not received notifications from their parent companies to raise prices.

The delivery time of future batches of condom shipments, however, is being delayed by geopolitical constraints, and will depend on price quotations from international manufacturers, Tseng said.

"The initial assessment is that the supply of condoms will not be affected for the next six months," she added.

The CDC also assesses that the issue will not affect its efforts to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and has not received any reports of consumers having difficulty purchasing condoms, Tseng said.

The supply disruptions stem from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war, which around a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquified natural gas, as well as other petrochemicals, pass through.

According to a BBC report, Karex, which supplies global brands like Durex and Trojan, relies on materials derived from oil, including the ammonia used to preserve latex, and silicone-based lubricants.