Study Finds Circumcision Cuts AIDS Risk

Posted on August 18, 2006

WebMD reports that findings from a new study indicate that circumcision could cut HIV risk in men by as much as 60%.

New studies suggest that male circumcision -- the surgical removal of the foreskin from the penis -- could avert hundreds of thousands of new HIV infections and save millions of dollars.
The research, presented at the International AIDS Conference here, builds on last year's finding that circumcised heterosexual men are at least 60% less likely to contract HIV than their uncircumcised counterparts.
Kevin De Cock, MD, director of the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDSHIV/AIDS program, says that if the findings hold up, the global agency will issue guidelines backing the procedure for HIV prevention.

Circumcision is by no means an excuse for circumcised men to practice unsafe sex but it does sound like circumcision could provide a valuable reduction in disease risk. Some of the health experts believe the findings are very significant. Kevin De Cock, MD told WebMD that "male circumcision could avert as many as two million new infections over 10 years in sub-Saharan Africa alone."

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HIV