AT least 40 legislators were yesterday circumcised under the Zimbabwe Parliamentarians Against HIV and Aids programme.
ZIPAH is a voluntary organisation made up of Members of Parliament aimed at promoting awareness and fighting stigma associated with HIV and Aids.
A total of 107 legislators, their spouses and Parliament staff members underwent HIV counselling and testing at a clinic at Parliament Building in Harare on Wednesday.
The initiative dubbed; "Parliamentarians making the smart choice", seeks to send a message to constituencies to encourage the grassroots to follow suit.
Population Services International Zimbabwe country director Ms Louisa Norman hailed the legislators for taking such an important step in promoting male circumcision.
"These are leaders setting an example for their communities, their constituencies and the country as a whole.
"They can help create an environment in which being circumcised is the norm for men," Ms Norman said.
She said Zimbabwe needs to build momentum on male circumcision and if 1,2 million men were circumcised by 2015, the country can prevent an estimated 750 000 new HIV and Aids cases.
She urged more leaders to take up the challenge and lead Zimbabwe into an HIV-free era.
Health and Child Welfare Minister Henry Madzorera said male circumcision was one of the proven and cost-effective methods in preventing HIV that Government had adopted.
"If our leaders are role models, their communities could emulate the example shown today. I believe we can easily reach and surpass the targets that we have set ourselves to achieve," he said.
Zipah chairperson Mr Blessing Chebundo, who was also circumcised, said the process was not as painful as he initially feared.
He urged fellow legislators to follow suit.
"I feel proud! We have accomplished. I can go and speak proudly and urge others to do the same," Mr Chebundo said.
Deputy Prime Minister Thokazani Khupe and Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo who were also tested disclosed their status to fellow parliamentarians.
Both indicated that they tested negative and challenged fellow members to disclose their status whether positive or negative while giving testimonies in Africa Unity Square.
"I tested negative and I am lucky. I am saying this because we all do indulge," Mr Moyo said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
DPM Khupe said she was happy with her negative status and encouraged all Zimbabweans to be tested and live a healthy life.
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With this AIDS scourge, we are like people in a burning house. A Swahili proverb says 2 men in a burning house should not argue.
When WHO/UNAIDS recommended that VMMC be implemented in countries with high HIV but low MC prevalence, they made 10 other recommendations which have policy and programmatic implications for rolling-out VMMC. These include the recommendation that male circumcision should never replace other known HIV prevention methods, and should always be considered as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package which includes among other measures, promoting abstinence from penetrative sex, encouraging reduction in number of sexual partners and providing HIV testing and counselling services. In Zimbabwe (and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa), the partial protectiveness of VMMC is emphasised and VMMC is offered as part of a standard minimum package of integrated services which includes: HIV Counselling and Testing; screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections; counselling on safer sexual practices, use of female and male condoms; and a safe MC procedure.
The concern that mass male circumcisions may exacerbate the HIV epidemic among women is unfounded. Reducing the number of new infections in men will of course reduce the number of new infections in women. The concern that circumcised men will behave less cautiously because they have been circumcised is unsubstantiated. A range of studies have found no evidence of increased risk taking in circumcised men. There are data showing that male circumcision reduces male-to-female HIV transmission, suggesting some protective effect for the female partner. In addition, there are other HIV non-related benefits to both circumcised males and their female partners, including lower risk of Human Papillomavirus infection, penile and cervical cancer, a possible lower risk of Chlamydia trachomatis infection and last but not least, enhanced sexual pleasure.
Scaling up male circumcision will NOT reduce new HIV infections!
Circumcision (sexual-reduction surgery) does NOT reduce female-to-male transmission of HIV by 60% as misleadingly claimed. This is a relative figure only. The actual (absolute) risk reduction was only 1.3% which is NOT clinically significant.
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december112011/circumcision-hiv-rg.php
Alarmingly, in a parallel Ugandan study by Wawer et al. (2009), there was a 61% relative INCREASE (6% absolute increase) in male-to-female transmission of HIV. Several women in the trial became infected with HIV after having sex with their newly circumcised partners.
Circumcision can only worsen the HIV epidemic because:
1) Some men may become HIV infected from the circumcision procedure itself when surgical instruments are inadequately sterilized.
2) At least 25% of men engage in sexual intercourse before their circumcision wounds have healed (half as early as 3 weeks).
http://www.aidsmap.com/Quarter-of-men-resume-sex-before-wounds-from-circumc ision-fully-healed-in-Zambian-study/page/2227154/
3) Many circumcised men mistakenly think that they have a "natural condom" so they believe they are "immune to HIV infection" and can be promiscuous with impunity. How wrong they are!
Where on earth did this Ms Norman get her evidence from? Reduce new cases by 750000 by 2015! This is not the kind of message our young peoople need; Circumcision has its benefits in terms of hygiene etc and should be encouraged but the answer to combat HIV is one condoms or abstinence.
From a USAID report: "There appears no clear pattern of association between male circumcision and HIV prevalence—in 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 seems likely to cost African lives rather than save them.
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