Clinical research findings at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), proved that male circumcision decreases a man?s risk of acquiring HIV infection through heterosexual intercourse by more than 50 percent.
Clinical research findings at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), proved that male circumcision decreases a man?s risk of acquiring HIV infection through heterosexual intercourse by more than 50 percent.
Following that research several countries in the world including Rwanda adopted the policy of circumcising men in order to reduce the spread of HIV/Aids. It?s said that following circumcision, the surface epithelium of the glans develops a protective keratin layer, a form of natural condom.
In 2008, Rwanda launched a male circumcision program in an effort to help reduce the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
According to Dr Anita Asiimwe, the Executive Secretary of the National AIDS Control Commission (CNLS), male circumcision could reduce a man?s risk of HIV infection through heterosexual contact by 60 percent.
?Medically supervised adult male circumcision is a scientifically proven method for reducing a man?s risk of acquiring HIV infection through heterosexual intercourse,? she said.
However, Dr. Asiimwe said that people shouldn?t take it for granted thinking that it reduces the risk of HIV infection by 100 percent, adding that male circumcision is a preventive method that was introduced to compliment others in a bid to fight against the spread of HIV/Aids.
?People shouldn?t take it as a guarantee that circumcision prevents HIV infection and have unprotected sex, they should use condoms if they fail to abstain,? she advised.
Dr Emmanuel Kayibanda, a Consultant Surgeon at King Faisal Hospital, said that male circumcision provides some protection against Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI?s) like; genital herpes and human papillomavirus infections as well.
?Since its launch in Rwanda, people frequently come for circumcision. We daily receive 8 to10 males who either come to be circumcised or bring their young boys for circumcision,? Dr. Kayibanda said.
He added that circumcision reduces the incidence of HIV infection as suggested by the studies but this shouldn?t stop people from having protected sex, they should use condoms or abstain from having sexual intercourse and as well be faithful to their partners.
?I encourage each and every male person who is not circumcised to do so because it reduces the transmission of genital infections, and improves personal hygiene,? he said.
Circumcision is vital for men?s health; it reduces the spread of HIV/Aids infection and other STI?s.