Circumcision drastically reduces HIV infections

Posted By Diyana Ishak Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - 4:30 PM Share

Foreskin cells up close

A study conducted in three African countries has shown that circumcision can considerably reduce the chances of HIV infection. The risk of infection was reduced by 53%, 48% and 60% in the countries tested, implying that male circumcision could potentially avert about six million HIV infections and three million deaths in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.

This may lead circumcised men to think they are protected, however. They're not. According to Dr. Kevin De Cock (yes, that's his real name), director of the HIV/AIDS department of the World Health Organization:

This is an intervention that must be embedded with all the other interventions and precautions we have. Men must not consider themselves protected. It's a very important intervention to add to our prevention armamentarium.

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