Significant impact in widespread circumcision - study

Botswana's plan to circumcise about half a million men by 2015 could prevent nearly 70,000 new HIV cases by 2025, according to a recent report in the Journal of the International AIDS Society.



The study found that "scaling-up safe male circumcision has the potential to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in Botswana significantly". An estimated 23.9 percent of adults are HIV-positive.



In March 2007, the World Health Organization and UNAIDS gave the use of male circumcision for HIV prevention a green light, after research showed that it could reduce the risk of infection among men by between 50 percent and 60 percent.



Botswana's national campaign aims to circumcise 460,000 men in the next five years, and the country has begun airing television and radio advertisements to encourage men to be circumcised at local clinics.



Rolling out the programme will cost an estimated $47 million, which would result in an average cost of $689 per HIV infection averted, according to the study's calculations.



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