Zimbabwean Members of Paliament to be Circumcised to Fight HIV

A group of Zimbabwean MPs is getting circumcised as part of a campaign to reduce HIV and Aids cases.

A small makeshift clinic for carrying out the procedures was erected in Parliament House in the capital Harare.

Blessing Chebundo, chairman of Zimbabwe Parliamentarians Against Aids, said his main objective was to inspire other citizens to follow suit.

Research by the UN has suggested male circumcision can reduce the spread of HIV and Aids.

A report by UNAids and the World Health Organisation said the risk of HIV infection among men could be reduced by 60%.

More than a million people in Zimbabwe are believed to be HIV-positive, with about 500,000 receiving anti-retroviral treatment.

Mr Chebundo said more than 120 MPs and parliamentary staff had shown an interest in the circumcision programme.

The BBC’s Brian Hungwe, in Harare says that by 12:00 local time (10:00GMT), four had had the procedure performed, with more expected later

Blessing Chebundo was the first to undergo the 10-minute operation.

He told the BBC there was a possibility that some members of the executive may also attend, including President Robert Mugabe.

The circumcision programme had attracted a lot of attention in Zimbabwe, and had divided opinion, our correspondent said.

The issue was raised in parliament in September 2011, when Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe made a plea to her fellow politicians.

At the time, many MPs shunned the idea.

As well as a clinic in parliament, the initiative has seen a tent set up across the road from parliament, where counselling sessions will be held.

Dr Owen Mugurungi, Director for Aids and TB unit with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, applauded those involved, the Zimbabwe Mail reported.

“We are happy with this initiative and we are happy more leaders will come on board,” he was quoted as saying.

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Going Under the Knife to Cut HIV Chances

Kenya has managed to bring down the high rate of HIV through a campaign promoting male circumcision but a funding crisis is preventing the effective measure from being rolled out on a wider scale.

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Mass circumcision in South African Prisions

South African prison ask to be circumcised

An incredible number of prisoners in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province are calling upon the authorities to circumcise them to help combat the spread of HIV. Health authorities say they have had more people wanting to be circumcised than their resources can manage and are overwhelmed.

World Health Organization (WHO) studies show compelling evidence that male circumcision reduces the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men by approximately 60% and recommends that male circumcision should be considered an efficacious intervention for HIV prevention in countries and regions with heterosexual epidemics, high HIV and low male circumcision prevalence. Believe in circumcision varies widely in Sub-Saharan Africa as we reported here a couple of weeks ago. KwaZulu-Natal has one of the highest HIV infection rates in South Africa and the voluntary call by the prisoners to receive the service is an indication of the magnitude of the problem and also an encouraging sign that education makes an impact. Male circumcision provides only partial protection, and therefore should be only one element of a comprehensive HIV prevention package. Some figures on HIV in South Africa Number of people with HIV: 5.7 million Prevalence, ages 15 to 49: 18% Patients receiving anti-retroviral drugs: 460,000 (estimated in 2008) Deaths due to Aids: 350,000 (estimated in 2007) Number of Aids orphans: 1.4 million Source: UNAids/WHO/Unicef epidemiological fact sheet, 2008

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Belief in Male Circumcision in Sub-Saharan Africa

subsaharan africa

Male circumcision is believed  to  reduce the risk of being infected with HIV/AIDS in several sub-Saharan African countries .

Gallup just released a survey conducted to assess the belief and the practice of male circumcision in this region.

The numbers:

Subsahara Africa poll on male circumcision
Subsahara Africa poll on male circumcision
Subsahara Africa poll on male circumcision

Bottom Line

Although improved levels of education about HIV/AIDS do not necessarily change behaviors, the likelihood of change without education is low. Therefore, investment in effective education programs about circumcision should be increased and designed in such a way that those with lower levels of education hear and understand the message: circumcision reduces the chance of being infected with HIV.

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