WHO advocates male circumcision
BBC NEWS | Health | WHO agrees HIV circumcision plan
The World Health Organisation today recommended that the circumcision of boys be used as a means of preventing AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, although obviously not in the absence of barrier contraception or "delaying sexual debut and reducing the number of sexual partners". The effect - a reduction of new infections by half or more - appears to have been on female-to-male transmission of the HIV virus; the effect on women is still unclear. No doubt the anti-circumcision crowd will have something to say, but the report is said to demonstrate that it's not just down to differences in sexual behaviour.
Comments
correction: circumcision of men
I'm from the anti-circumcision crowd. I have no problem with grown men consenting to circumcise themselves, but American parents, leave your son's penis alone.
Posted by: Iggy | March 29, 2007 2:13 AM
I'd be very surprised if the circumcision isn't merely incidental. Presumably most of the circumcised men are Muslim and are less likely to be promiscuous then the Christian and Animists amongst whom the infection rates are higher?
Unless they've performed an analysis of the sexual behaviour of different religious groups I would have thought that's a more plausible reason.
Posted by: Raashid | March 30, 2007 9:39 AM
Considering it is a proper medical trial, factors like that are taken into account. It's briefly mentioned at the bottom of this story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6227533.stm
Posted by: Saracen | March 30, 2007 12:53 PM