ZIMBABWE – HARARE – A total of 1 291 men have so far been circumcised under the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare’s pilot circumcision project ahead of the stepping up of the programme next year, officials said.
Zimbabwe has adopted male circumcision as one of its strategies to combat the spread of HIV.
Studies have shown that circumcision reduces the risk of men contracting HIV during heterosexual sex by an average of 60 percent.
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin covering the head of the male sexual organ.
Briefing journalists during a male circumcision media workshop in Harare on Thursday, the National HIV Prevention Coordinator in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Getrude Ncube, said 800 circumcisions had been performed at the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council in Harare by the end of last month.
A total of 234 operations were conducted at the Eye Clinic in Bulawayo, with the remainder coming from other pilot centres at Karanda Hospital in Mt Darwin and Mutare Provincial Hospital.
Most centres were opened in June.
Dr Ncube said that three randomised controlled trials had demonstrated 60 percent lower incidence of HIV infection in circumcised men, hence the promotion of the practice.
“All trials were stopped midway by their respective Data Safety and Monitoring Boards because of the strong protective effect on male circumcision on HIV. The evidence was so overwhelming that there was no need to continue,” she said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), UNAIDS and health experts are supporting the promotion of male circumcision as part of a strategy to fight the spread of HIV, following the randomised controlled trials in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa.
WHO and UNAIDS have already released policy and programme recommendations on male circumcision and HIV prevention.
Dr Ncube said plans were underway to evaluate the pilot phase in Zimbabwe and develop a male circumcision scale up strategic plan from 2010 to 2015.
The Ministry is working with Population Services International (PSI), SAFAIDS, Gates Foundation, United Nations Children Education Fund and USAID among other partners to implement the programme.
The director of the Institute of Continuing Health Education at the University of Zimbabwe’s College of Health Sciences, Mr Chris Samkange, explained that circumcision reduces the spread of HIV in that it removes the foreskin, which is the major entry point of the virus during heterosexual sex.
He said there was a high density of HIV-1 target cells or (langerhans cells) in the foreskin.
Mr Samkange said research had shown that the inner foreskin is more easily affected than cervical tissue and up to nine times more vulnerable than the external foreskin and penile shaft skin.
Circumcision also causes the keratinisation (hardening) of the skin surface, and promotes more rapid drying which reduces the likelihood of bacterial sexual infections, which in turn reduces the risk of acquisition of HIV.
“All clients are, however, required to abstain from sex for 42 days to ensure complete healing of the wound. It is also recommended that they rest for about a week and be very hygienic to ensure that the wound is not infected,” said Mr Samkange.
Meanwhile, Mr Samkange and other health experts, including Dr Karin Hatzold, the director of HIV Services of PSI Zimbabwe, WHO and Ministry of Health and Child Welfare officials, said male circumcision only reduced the risk of contracting HIV but was not 100 percent effective.
They said circumcision should not replace other known methods of HIV prevention and should be considered as a package, which includes delaying the onset of sex, abstinence, partner reduction, correct and consistent use of condoms, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and voluntary counseling and testing
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Circumcision is a dangerous distraction in the fight against AIDS. There are six African countries where men are more likely to be HIV+ if they’ve been circumcised: Cameroon, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, and Swaziland. Eg in Malawi, the HIV rate is 13.2% among circumcised men, but only 9.5% among intact men. In Rwanda, the HIV rate is 3.5% among circumcised men, but only 2.1% among intact men. If circumcision really worked against AIDS, this just wouldn’t happen. We now have people calling circumcision a “vaccine” or “invisible condom”, and viewing circumcision as an alternative to condoms.
The one study into male-to-female transmission showed a 50% higher rate in the group where the men had been circumcised btw.
ABC (Abstinence, Being faithful, Condoms) is the way forward. Promoting genital surgery will cost African lives, not save them.
Comment by Mark Lyndon — October 19, 2009 @ 2:49 am
if circumcision reduces the rate of hiv transmission by 60%, isnt 40% too big a number.
if possible i am for circumcission for other reasons other than the spread of hiv. protection should always be used but since protection is not 100%, then protected circumsised man can benefit.
Comment by afro aerial — October 19, 2009 @ 11:40 am
motofa imi varume ve zim, aids inodzivirirwa neAbstinence bedzi plus kuve faithful once u marry, idzi zvesuzvotora ganda remboro inhema chaidzo
Comment by mhata jende(nee matinji) — October 19, 2009 @ 1:02 pm
musadzimawozve ma comment evamve pa forum, hindava so, asi chii nhai
Comment by mhata inotapira — October 19, 2009 @ 1:16 pm
the fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom……..
Comment by good sherpherd — October 19, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
keratinisation-which dictionary do you find such word?
Cirmucized or not circumsized, Aids will kill you if you sleep around…
Zim man dont be fooled…IZVI NDIZVO ZVIROTO CHAIZVO!!!
Comment by ZVIROTO — October 19, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
Its true circumcision does help reduce the spread of HIV. in nigeria every male child is circumcized as soon as they r born same as in all west, east and northen africa, and records have shown that they have less HIV cases than the southen sahara were circumcision is not routin on all male babies
Comment by CHIEDZA — October 19, 2009 @ 11:52 pm
imi mumomama mukada kukwira musina ma condom, musanyeperwe ne circumcision iyi, ko sei varungu vakangonyarara pese apa, maiti havazvizive, they want you to die faster and wipe the blacks, munomama imi
Comment by borangoma — October 20, 2009 @ 8:42 am
Veduwe ndati kwirwai madzimai kwirwai. Hanzi shondo ndiyo inotapira isinga batire chirwere. Why is the WHO sanctioning programmes like this circumcision to reduce the spread of HIV? Look the South Africans vamama nemukondaz but all their males are circumsised its there culture, Batswana males are circumcised but they have been ravaged by Aids. So having a SHONDO will not prevent or reduce the spread of HIV. If you sleep around you will spread it period. So Zim guys musango chekwa-chekwa nengo dzemuviri muchiti muri kuzvidzivirira munofa.
Comment by Kwirwai — October 20, 2009 @ 9:14 am
chandakaimerera vakomana.42 days its 2 much kana zvakadaro ngazvigare bcoz ini ndingatofe ka ndikashaya bonde.i make sure kuti zuva rega rega ndazvambura mumwe chete kana vaviri.
Comment by gushungo — October 20, 2009 @ 9:59 am
zvirotozviroto, ngazviperere mumacondom
Comment by chimamambhanzi — October 20, 2009 @ 11:07 am
faithfulnes is the wepon of aids
Comment by tina — October 20, 2009 @ 1:14 pm
tikatarisa mafigures arikuti it reduces the rate of hiv and aids not stop hiv. hazvirapi izvi zvinongoderedza rate yacho.Its simple condomise if u sleep around otherwise muchafa
Comment by tindo — October 20, 2009 @ 2:26 pm
Circumcision keeps you clean (if it reduces hiv transmision, then its an added advantage). Uncircumcised men will tell you how difficult it is to remove the dirty white gel which accumulates inside the foreskin. Kana isinga nzvonyoke; tsvina iyi haibve; and this white stuff smells eventually. I went for circum not for aids prevention but to keep my weapon clean
Comment by soko murehwa — October 20, 2009 @ 2:58 pm
zviroto zviroto abstinence ndiwo mushonga chete chete.
Comment by zviroto — October 20, 2009 @ 3:00 pm
Nzwisisai hazvina kunzi ukaitwa circumcision wochirova nyoro aiwa kwete ba circumsion is not an alternative to condom kuwedzera kudzivirira. so if u want to sleep around use a condom even if you are circusized.
Comment by Vena — October 20, 2009 @ 3:52 pm
aids iriko vanhu we ende beche hariperi kunaka asi isai necondom pliz .
Comment by beche rinonaka — October 20, 2009 @ 5:13 pm
varume ngavachekwe kana zvichiita kutobvisa chese
Comment by mavhaire — October 20, 2009 @ 10:05 pm
ABC first. But if circumcision improves your chances of staying alive, why not. It is being offered as a preventive measure. Is it not better to do that now than to rape later because some traditional healer has advised you to sleep with your daughter or a little child for your HIV to disappear?
We probably need to compare statistic between an adult who gets circumcised later in life to one who got it done much earlier in life. That would probably explain the higher survival rate in those who have always practiced it as tradition (Initiation ceremonies) and of course those without the foreskin (shondo).
Comment by Mike — October 20, 2009 @ 11:34 pm
ko mdara vaifanirwa kuita example apa.ndovaifanira kunzvonyorwa ka first…nway boyz dzangu chinhu chinonzi mboro hachisi chekutamba nacho,especially kana wati kurei..ko ikazoramba kumuka after 42 days dzacho dzavanotaura….watchout..
Comment by tsvakose — October 20, 2009 @ 11:47 pm
You people when you write about Zimbabwe make sure you publish Zimbabwean pictures ok This picture is not Zimbabwean
Comment by GURURGUDAI MAPOTO — October 21, 2009 @ 11:40 am
Musafurirwa nevarungu,vakakupai ESAP mukamama nayo nhasi voda kukusvuurai tumboro kuti munyatsomama nayo AIDS.
Comment by Jekanyika — October 21, 2009 @ 6:34 pm
ko makanda avanenge vabvisa vanoisa kupi???
Comment by gwetekwe — October 26, 2009 @ 11:04 am
Ndizvozvi chete zvatinogona, kuti tova focused and come out with an empirical judgement that preserves us as a people hatigoni! Ndichochii ichi?
Comment by Baba Sherpard — October 27, 2009 @ 11:01 am
ASI CHI NHAI
Comment by mzimba — November 2, 2009 @ 11:02 pm
nhai we ‘gwetekwe”, ko unomadini makanda acho. Stay focused on issue at hand
Comment by lady gee — November 8, 2009 @ 12:22 pm
The foreskin is not just skin and does not just protect the glans(head). Circumcision is now known to ablate the most sensitive parts of the male genitals. This surgery takes away the main male pleasure zones with over 20000 fine touch and stretch nerve endings amputated. The foreskin has several parts including the ridged band that is great for ones pleasure (that is why nutters like Kellogg wanted to chop em off, to curtail masturbation), Masturbation is important for a mans physical and mental health. The ridged band directly contacts the vagina for very great pleasure all around. The dynamics of sex and the actual mechanism of the penis are drastically changed by circumcision. The foreskin can normally be slipped all the way, or almost all the way, back to the base of the penis, and also slipped forward beyond the glans. This wide range of motion is the mechanism by which the penis and the orgasmic triggers in the foreskin, frenulum, and glans are stimulated
The only touch organ possessing as rich erogenous innervation as the foreskin is the clitoris. Circumcision deprives man of 2/3ds of the main erogenous zone constituted of the foreskin and the glans.
Comment by Yea right — November 12, 2009 @ 10:42 pm
circumsition is nonsense. imi mnoti mwaRI AKASIKA MBORO IYOYO INO FORESKIN ANOPENGA. UKANGOTASVA TASVA UNOFAMBA UCHITSIKA TAMBO DZEBHUTSU HAMENO hako.saka hurumend iri kutambisa mari ichi ndzvonyora vanhu pane kuvhara ma potholes mumaroads umu zvataoma
Comment by bla Nodza — November 23, 2009 @ 10:46 am
That foul language, please vanhu we! Learn to guard against your tongues.
Comment by Unknown — November 24, 2009 @ 4:16 am
Cha zinsizwa singatshelana lokhu lalokhuyana, kodwa iqiniso linye, tshiyanani lokugijima nxa uthethe hlala lowakho nxa ungathathanga bekezela uze uthole umaqondana, kuyafiwa madoda siyahamba, siyakogoqwanyawo.
Comment by shomboyi — November 25, 2009 @ 9:15 am
anoda kuchekwa ngaachekwe, asingadi ngaarege
Comment by lolobabes — November 27, 2009 @ 3:57 am