A new paper published in the African Journal of AIDS Research by Michel Garenne, researcher at the Pasteur Institute, Paris, analyzed data from thirteen African countries and concluded that male circumcision offers little, if any, protection from HIV infection, and that voluntary circumcision programs are likely to provide little benefit, while greatly burdening the health care system.

Garenne states, “Based on my analysis, it is clear that there are other confounding factors much more important that male circumcision in the transmission patterns of HIV. There was no evidence of a protective effect of male circumcision on HIV rates in the general population. While it is important to try every available strategy to reduce HIV infections, the use of male circumcision requires extensive health care costs and may not be the best use of HIV funding. Alternative strategies would offer much more general population protection.”

This paper raises concerns about the use of male circumcision follows on the heels of yet another paper published this month in Future HIV Therapy calling the promotion of male circumcision risky and dangerous.

Of the thirteen countries examined, male circumcision was not associated with any difference in HIV infection rates in eight of the countries, HIV infection was lower in circumcised populations in two of the countries, and HIV infection was higher in circumcised populations for the other three countries.

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