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Circumcision may cut AIDS risk - study

A new study suggests that circumcised men may be six times less likely to contract HIV than uncircumcised men, the BBC reported. The latest survey, which backs up earlier research in Africa, was based on interviews with more than 2,000 men in India and published in the Lancet Journal. Findings show that the thin foreskin tissue could be more susceptible to the HI virus than other parts of the penis, and it is believed this may be because the foreskin contains cells that the virus specifically targets. While a number of studies have indicated that circumcision appears to lower the chances of contracting HIV, the researchers warn that circumcision reduces only the risk of HIV infection, and not that of other sexually transmitted infections.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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