The King of South Africa's Zulu's, Goodwill Zwelithini, said on Saturday at a traditional festival his intention to revive the practice. Studies have shown that circumcision can cut chances of the HIV virus in half.
Zulus practiced the ritual circumcision until the 19Th century when King Shaka stopped it. Shaka felt the procedure kept his men away for months at a time. The head of Kwa Zula -Natal's regional government Zweli Mkhize, said it will assist in the fight against AIDS but will not prevent the spread of sexual transmitted diseases.
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"Studies have shown that circumcision can cut chances of the HIV virus in half." This is a dangerous over-simplificaiton.
First, those studies only refer to female-to-male transmission, which is less common than male-to-female, and a very minor share of transmission in the US, where those most at risk are receptive males, IV drug users, and women. A study in Nigeria and Swailand shows that 1/5 of HIV transmissions are caused by contaminated medical instruments.
Second, a study in Uganda found 12% of the female partners of non-circumcised HIV+ men contracted the virus, while 18% of the female partners of circumcised HIV+ men did. The study was stopped "for futility" before it reached statistical significance, and the victims blamed for resuming sex too soon, but it certainly raises the possibility that circumcision itself increases the risk to women.
Third, that "can cut the chances of the HIV virus in half" amounted to a total 132 non-circumcised men contracting HIV in less than two years, compared to 64 circumcised men, a difference of 73, after 5,400 men were circumcised in three studies.
That's not such a good sound bite, and it doesn't make circumcision such a bargain. Circumcision is not without risk or harm, which has to be weighed up against such a slim benefit.
Meanwhile 327 of the circumcised men dropped out of the studies, their HIV status unknown. The studies were held in countries where more of non-circumcised men have HIV, but in at least six other African countries, more of of the circumcised men do, according to the National Health and Demographic Surveys.
Thanks Hugh7 for educating us on the facts surrounding circumcision .
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