'Circumcision, a vaccine against AIDS?'
by Jennifer Brea, Global Voices


In recent years, scientific studies have showed that circumcised men have a dramatically lower risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Many African governments are contemplating encouraging voluntary circumcision alongside more conventional prevention methods.



Zied, a Tunisian blogger and public health worker who blogs at zizou from Djerba, tackles this controversial topic in a recent post, "Circumcision: A Vaccine Against AIDS?" [Fr]

After vaccines, after contraceptive pills, after condoms, the time has now come for circumcision. Yes! Several studies conducted in recent years have shown what others have claimed [to be true] for decades: circumcision reduces the transmission rate of the AIDS virus...by 60%! Incredible, no? And we, who have always wondered why North Africa and the Middle East have had such a low [transmission] rate despite the weakness of their response to the epidemic. The answer is before us: CIRCUMCISION.
It is clear that this intervention alone will do nothing. But in parallel with everything that already exists, we can expect miracles...Rwanda has already begun a large-scale circumcision campaign, while many other countries are in the process of studying and planning similar activities. The opponents of circumcision are numerous and the debate rages in the scientific, religious, and other communities. Some find that condoms are still the only true response [to the epidemic], others think that circumcision is a barbaric practice that diminishes pleasure, aside from those who think it’s unethical to cut someone's foreskin without their consent.

It will be difficult to convince everyone...