India seduced by the 'condom' ring-tone

India is ringing the changes in sexual health education.

A ring-tone that sings 'condom, condom, condom' has attracted over 270,000 downloads since its launch last month and has spread the message of safe sex to many more mobile phone users in India and abroad.

The campaign, produced by the BBC World Service trust, aims to target the India's increasing army of mobile phone users, presently estimated at over 250 million.

The innovative Condom a Capella ring-tone by Rupert Fernandes and Vijay Prakash features the word 'condom' sung in a charming kerfuffle of overlapping melodies. It can be heard at the website www.condomcondom.org, which has had over 2 million hits.

According to latest figures, 2.4 million people are living with HIV in India. Stigma and taboo associated with sex education are the major challenges facings HIV/AIDS prevention programs in the country. Less a third of the young population surveyed could correctly identify the ways to prevent HIV infection, the UNAIDS report states.

The BBC World Service Trust's country director for India Yvonne MacPherson told Reuters Health: 'We wanted to create a conversation piece that would get people talking and ultimately break down the taboo about condoms. We want condoms to be seen as any other health product.'