Circumcision has been one of the most important topic not only in Africa where circumcision lowered the spread of HIV among heterosexuals also in western countries.
Circumcision is thought to protect men from HIV infection because foreskin tissue appears particularly susceptible to the virus, and may serve as an entry point for it. However, circumcision would not affect HIV risk from receptive anal sex — and that, again, could outweigh any protective effect of circumcision during insertive sex.
A review in journal of Urol on three randomized, controlled trials concluded that “circumcising adult males reduces the incidence of HIV by 50% to 60%. Adult male circumcision does not seem to have an adverse impact on sexual function. Epidemiological and economic modeling suggests that adult male circumcision can potentially be a highly cost-effective strategy for HIV prevention. ” (The impact of male circumcision on HIV transmission, Doyle,S.M.; Kahn,J.G.; Hosang,N.; Carroll,P.R.)
A report from CDC consultation published in this year Public Health Rep.
suggested that (1) sufficient evidence exists to propose that heterosexually active males be informed about the significant but partial efficacy of MC in reducing risk for HIV acquisition and be provided with affordable access to voluntary, high-quality surgical and risk-reduction counseling services; (2) information about the potential health benefits and risks of MC should be presented to parents considering infant circumcision, and financial barriers to accessing MC should be removed; and (3) insufficient data exist about the impact (if any) of MC on HIV acquisition by MSM, and additional research is warranted.
