20 million risky condoms recalled

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's health department said Tuesday it has recalled 20 million potentially defective condoms approved by an official accused of taking bribes from a manufacturer.

There are up to 1,000 AIDS-related deaths in South Africa every day and free condom distribution is a crucial part of the government's efforts to combat the spread of the epidemic.

"An official of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), has put millions of people at risk by illegally passing millions of condoms, which had not met the quality assurance requirements," said health department spokesman Sibani Mngadi.

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