Government health officials in Free State, South Africa, have recalled a lot of 8,700 boxes of condoms that were distributed free of charge at guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, and bars to celebrate the centenary of the African National Congress, BBC News reports (1/30). “The Free State Health Department says it is recalling the estimated 1.35 million condoms as a ‘precautionary measure’ — and urged the public not to panic,” the BBC notes, adding, “They say they are still investigating claims that the condoms are porous.”

“But the Treatment Action Campaign said no warning has been issued to people that they may have carried away defective condoms that could now cause them to unsuspectingly spread or contract HIV,” the Associated Press/Seattle Times writes. The condom recall, the third recall in five years, “raises questions about the quality of some of the 425 million-plus condoms that the government gives away each year,” according to the AP (Faul, 1/31).