Male circumcision highlighted in AIDS prevention

Research conducted in Kenya has reinforced earlier global studies reporting higher HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in communities not practicing male circumcision. The 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, released this week, suggested that male circumcision reduced the risk of HIV infection, with only three out of 100 circumcised men diagnosed HIV-positive, compared to 13 in every 100 uncircumcised men. However, Dr Richard Muga, director of the National Council for Population and Development, warned that risky sexual behaviour, even for circumcised males, also predisposed one to HIV infection. A local newspaper, The East African Standard, quoted Muga as saying, "There is no understanding that if you are circumcised, you are safe."