THE Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation in conjunction with the National Male Circumcision tas kforce have expressed concern over reports of multiple sex partners among those who recently underwent male circumcision.
Nyanza provincial director of publichealth and sanitation, who is also the task force chairman Jackson Kioko, said therehave been reports that those who have been circumcised are taking it as immunity againstHIV.
Speaking during the launch of the resultsof the third rapid results initiative on male circumcision, Kioko said the taskforce will conduct a study to ascertain post-male circumcision sexual behaviour. During the launch of the exercise, itscritics including the Luo Council of Elders said the programme will be disastrous if not well packaged and the beneficiaries sensitised on itsimplication.
The council of elders argued that marketing male circumcision on the platform of preventing HIV was going to erode the overallgoal since many men will take it as complete immunity. Studies conducted in Rabai in Uganda,Orange Farm in South Africa and Kisumu indicate that male circumcision canprevent HIV infection by over 60 per cent. The studies, however, warn that male circumcisionshould not be relied upon as a stand-alone intervention against HIV/Aids.
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What a mistaken thinking my fellow brothers to immagine that circumcission can shield against Hiv. its just likelyhood of being infected or call it probability is higher in uncut than cut males. Infact, many other good things accrue from being cut, including more "enjoyment". If you are not cut, give it a chance and you will regret why you had to wait.
Just one more reason why promoting circumcision to prevent HIV is a bad idea.
From the USAID report "LEVELS AND SPREAD OF HIV SEROPREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS: EVIDENCE FROM NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS" "There appears no clear pattern of association between male circumcision and HIV prevalencein 8 of 18 countries with data, HIV prevalence is lower among circumcised men, while in the remaining 10 countries it is higher." http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pdf/CR22/CR22.pdf
The South African National Communication Survey on HIV/AIDS, 2009 found that 15% of adults across age groups "believe that circumcised men do not need to use condoms". http://www.info.gov.za/issues/hiv/survey_2009.htm
From the committee of the South African Medical Association Human Rights, Law & Ethics Committee : "the Committee expressed serious concern that not enough scientifically-based evidence was available to confirm that circumcisions prevented HIV contraction and that the public at large was influenced by incorrect and misrepresented information. The Committee reiterated its view that it did not support circumcision to prevent HIV transmission."
The one randomized controlled trial into male-to-female transmission showed a 54% higher rate in the group where the men had been circumcised btw: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60998-3/a bstract
ABC (Abstinence, Being faithful, and especially Condoms) is the way forward. Promoting genital surgery will cost African lives, not save them.
More men seem to find that circumcision makes their sex lives worse than better btw. A study by Kim and Pang of adult circumcision found that "About 6% answered that their sex lives improved, while 20% reported a worse sex life after circumcision."
Many professionals have criticized the studies claiming that circumcision reduces HIV transmission. They have various flaws. The absolute rate of HIV transmission reduction is only 1.3%, not the claimed 60%. Authorities that cite the studies have other agendas including political and financial. Circumcision causes physical, sexual, and psychological harm. This harm is ignored by circumcision advocates. Other methods to prevent HIV transmission (e.g., condoms and sterilizing medical instruments) are much more effective, much cheaper, and much less invasive. Please see http://www.circumcision.org/hiv.htm for more information and links to literature.
What a mischievous headline! What man wouldn't like more mates? The real headline is "Cut men risk more HIV". Many people have warned of this for a long time before any circumcision campaigns began. The circumcisers seem determined to go ahead in flagrant disregard of human nature. Of course men hear "circumcsiion protects against HIV" and ignore "maybe" and "somewhat" and "but not women" and "so you have to keep using condoms".
But never mind, if the HIV rate rises or stays the same, you can blame the victims for not reading the small print. (And if it falls, circumcision will get the credit, not the safer-sex education campaigns that go with it.) Anything but blame circumcision for being ineffective, as it will eventually prove to be. (As it has proved to be, time after time, in the past.)
Its AFRICAN TRADITION; leave US "AFRICANS" ALONE and let's go ahead with our traditions. We "Africans" need NO more hyprocrites in our traditional affairs, norms, ect. We NEED no more hyprocrites!!
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