Several local organizations will be handing out free condoms this week to increase awareness about safer sex during National Condom Week, which runs until Feb. 21.

“We definitely distribute free condoms, no pressure,” said Andrea Conner, graduate assistant for educational programming at the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center. “Everyone is welcome to stop in for those and more information.”

The Sloss House staff also will be promoting its safer sex educational programs this week, although the seminars are conducted year round.

“We do programs for fraternities, sororities and within the residence halls on safer sex,” Conner said. “National Condom Week is a great time for awareness, but these services are available all the time.”

Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, 2530 Chamberlain St., is also providing free condoms this week.

Krista Noah, manager of Planned Parenthood in Ames, said National Condom Week is an opportunity to educate the public about responsible condom use.

“Inconsistent condom use is the same as unprotected sex, but when used consistently and correctly, [condoms] are highly effective,” she said.

Noah said National Condom Week is also a time to promote birth-control counseling, cancer screenings and annual exams available year round at Planned Parenthood. It also gives safe-sex advocates a chance to inform people about new issues.

For example, Noah said the term “Sexually Transmitted Infection” (STI) is now preferred over the phrase “Sexually Transmitted Disease” (STD).

“A disease is something that originates inside the body, whereas an infection is brought into the body by a host. This stresses the fact that you can’t get an STI on your own, and it’s more medically accurate,” she said.

Noah said National Condom Week is also a chance to remind the public that STIs still plague the world.

“Every day, 5,000 AIDS infections occur in the world. [This means] 5,000 people with HIV develop full-blown AIDS every day,” she said. “It’s also shocking that 80 percent of Americans with HIV do not even know that they’re infected.”