Circumcision found to have new role in prevention of AIDS
by Caitlin Birch
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: News
New York City has begun to explore the possibility of expanding its present HIV prevention strategy to include male circumcision, a spokeswoman for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said.
The decision to begin the exploration came in the wake of a March 28 statement by the World Health Organization, which endorsed male circumcision as "an additional important intervention to reduce the risk of heterosexually-acquired HIV infection in men."
The WHO's statement was the culmination of a three-day international meeting in Montreux, Switzerland. Researchers presented what was considered "strong" and "compelling" evidence from three separate and controlled African studies that suggest male circumcision reduces a man's risk of contracting HIV through heterosexual sex by 60 percent.
Sara Markt, deputy press secretary for the NYC DOHMH, stated in an e-mail message the city is beginning to discuss the circumcision research with the community to learn whether circumcision would be effective in the fight against HIV in New York.
NYC remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic," Markt said.
Although New York City health officials have already begun their preliminary discussions, John Kennedy, manager of the HIV/AIDS/STD Branch at the Delaware Division of Public Health, stated in an e-mail message there have not been any official recommendations concerning male circumcision as a preventive strategy against HIV from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Although the CDC has not released any statements to date, Kennedy said the Delaware Division of Public Health is studying the issue.
Susan Tanner, community planning coordinator for the non-profit educational group, Delaware HIV Consortium, said Delaware legislators normally wait for a statement from the CDC before considering new health-related legislation.
To date, Tanner said she has not heard anything about Delaware adopting a statewide circumcision promotion program in the future, but it might not be a bad idea.
The decision to begin the exploration came in the wake of a March 28 statement by the World Health Organization, which endorsed male circumcision as "an additional important intervention to reduce the risk of heterosexually-acquired HIV infection in men."
The WHO's statement was the culmination of a three-day international meeting in Montreux, Switzerland. Researchers presented what was considered "strong" and "compelling" evidence from three separate and controlled African studies that suggest male circumcision reduces a man's risk of contracting HIV through heterosexual sex by 60 percent.
Sara Markt, deputy press secretary for the NYC DOHMH, stated in an e-mail message the city is beginning to discuss the circumcision research with the community to learn whether circumcision would be effective in the fight against HIV in New York.
NYC remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic," Markt said.
Although New York City health officials have already begun their preliminary discussions, John Kennedy, manager of the HIV/AIDS/STD Branch at the Delaware Division of Public Health, stated in an e-mail message there have not been any official recommendations concerning male circumcision as a preventive strategy against HIV from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Although the CDC has not released any statements to date, Kennedy said the Delaware Division of Public Health is studying the issue.
Susan Tanner, community planning coordinator for the non-profit educational group, Delaware HIV Consortium, said Delaware legislators normally wait for a statement from the CDC before considering new health-related legislation.
To date, Tanner said she has not heard anything about Delaware adopting a statewide circumcision promotion program in the future, but it might not be a bad idea.
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