Overview

Male circumcision is surgical removal of the foreskin - the retractable fold of tissue that covers the head of the penis. The inner aspect of the foreskin is highly susceptible to HIV infections. Trained health professionals can safely remove the foreskin of infants, adolescents and adults (medical male circumcision).

Compelling evidence for recommendations

In 2007, WHO and UNAIDS issued recommendations on medical male circumcision as an additional HIV prevention strategy based on strong and consistent scientific evidence. Three randomized controlled trials undertaken in Kisumu, Kenya, Rakai District, Uganda, and Orange Farm, South Africa have shown that medical male circumcision reduces the risk of sexual transmission of HIV from women to men by approximately 60%.

The most recent data from Uganda show that in the five years since the Uganda trial was completed, high effectiveness has been maintained among the men who were circumcised, with a 73% protective effect against HIV infection.

Maximizing public health benefit

WHO and UNAIDS recommended the intervention be added in countries with high HIV prevalence, generalized heterosexual HIV epidemics, and low levels of male circumcision where the intervention is likely to have the greatest public health impact. Fourteen priority countries with this profile are striving to scale up voluntary medical male circumcision: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Medical male circumcision for HIV prevention offers excellent value for money. Recent modelling studies found that reaching 80% coverage among men 15 - 49 years old in the priority countries – by performing approximately 20 million circumcisions - would cost US$1.5 billion and would result in net savings of US$16.5 billion by 2025 due to averted treatment and care costs. Achieving, and maintaining, 80% coverage through 2025 would avert 3.4 million new HIV infections.

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Source: http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/maleci...fact_sheet/en/

So many circumcision threads

would be easier and more protective to use condoms
but if you are an adult thinking it would be a smart decision ...

pressed

Im safe

#TeamUncut

#Cut4Lyfe

I'm cut but #TeamUncut and so will my children.

#teamcut

i don't care, uncut >

Or you could just use a condom. In countries where we can afford protection it's not really relevant.

I don't get it. You can't just remove something it was obviously put there for a reason.

It doesn't matter how many threads of the positives of being cut are made, I will always be proud of being uncut
Why would I want a penis that has less nerve endings and is scarred anyway?
No thank you!

Wouldn't a better fix be just to work on providing clean water to these African countries so that they can properly and effectively clean their foreskin rather than just cutting it off? Like, OBVIOUSLY having foreskin in developing countries is problematic, since the water many are using to clean themselves is not safe.

How long will it take? I mean i'm sure they're working on that too but it will take too much time and people will die.


It's the easier & faster way to prevent the HIV epidemic in Africa now.