Walter Menya
18 July 2008
Nairobi — The planned roll out of male circumcision as an intervention against HIV and Aids faces its hardest hurdle Thursday with a one-day stakeholders forum in Kisumu to deliberate on its efficacy and acceptance.
The meeting will bring together religious leaders, health professionals, the Government and members of the Luo Council of Elders.
As a precursor of what to expect in the forum, the Luo elders yesterday called a press conference to reiterate their earlier stand that they are against the practice.
In a statement, the elders said that the practice would infringe on the rights of the community, adding that there was more to it than meets the eye. "We will not allow it to become a Government policy, but whoever does it will still be accepted in the community," said Mr Odera Osawa, who read the statement on behalf of the elders.
Research has shown that male circumcision can reduce chances of contracting HIV by about 50 per cent, but the elders said that there was need to clearly understand how the practice will assist the community.
Three independent researches conducted in Africa - in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa - informed the World Health Organisation and the government of Kenya to adopt the practice in the prevention of HIV.
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Male cut though being considered as an intervention aimed at helping reduce HIV infections leaves a lot of questions to be answered. HIV virus still affects both the cut and the non-cut. In Kenya for example, the government seems to have lost focus and direction. Intially, the story was Re-using things such as needles, Wife inheritence, Behaviour change and now male cut, who knows what will be adopted tomorrow? Wife inheritence story went down data clearly and consistently indicated that the worst affected are young people who not even married leave a lone inherited a wife! Current talks on male cut may only end up helping men and not women (who sufers twice as men)!
Male cut as an intervention against HIV will also fail misserably. Thanks