Circumcision Recommended by UN

Posted by Brenda Lane Apr 29, 2007

The WHO and the UNAIDS have both recommended that the practice of male circumcision be made more available to prevent the rapid spread of HIV in many countries, most notably in sub Saraha Africa.

While only about 30% of men worldwide are circumcised, experts believe that making circumcision more readily available to at risk populations could reduce the transmission of HIV by as much as 50%.

The UN report was released in March 2007 and states that "of the 40 million people worldwide infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, 25 million live in sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease is spread mostly through heterosexual sex. Increasing male circumcisions could prevent 5.7 million sub-Saharan African men from contracting HIV over the next two decades, and save 3 million lives."

While parents in other countries may not choose to circumcise their male infants except perhaps for religious reasons, here is one example of how the practice of routine circumcision alone could ultimately save countless lives.

Brenda