Circumcision advocate tackles the cringe factor to fight AIDS
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The studies are clear: Circumcising heterosexual men reduces their infection rate by at least 60 percent and some studies show it’s by 65 percent or more.
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the United Nations calculates that if 20 million high-risk men were circumcised by 2015, 20 percent of HIV infections would be prevented over the next 10 years. That could save $16.6 billion in future medical costs.
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"We want the world to know that this procedure reduces the risk of female-to-male transmission by more than 60 percent and for the rest of the man's life, so the impact can be phenomenal,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the conference on Monday.
Wives and partners of these men are protected by extension if the men have sex with someone else. Clinton praised a group of at least a dozen Zimbabwean legislators who got themselves circumcised last week.
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But, according to the advocacy group AVAC (formerly the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition) only 8 percent of the 20 million targeted men actually have had the procedure.
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Kaggwa, who lives in New York now and works for AVAC, said men will come up with any excuse not to be circumcised: they are busy, it will take too much time, it will hurt.
These are just lame excuses, he said. A one-on-one conversation can change minds, he said. “I personally know nine people who have been circumcised because of my story. I made a personal pledge to tell anyone who cares to listen.”
Circumcision protects men for a number of reasons. The foreskin is full of the immune system cells that are the most vulnerable to the virus. The tender tissue can also get tiny tears and scratches during sex that give the virus an easier entry point. And men with foreskins are far more likely to get other sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis, which, in turn, raise the likelihood of HIV infection.
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“All female participants reported being satisfied with their partner's decision to become circumcised and his sexual performance after circumcision. Ninety-six percent were satisfied with the appearance of partner's penis and 91 percent reported enjoying sex more after circumcision,” Okeyo told the conference.
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