LA Times
EDITORIAL

An old way to fight AIDS

PRESIDENT BUSH HAS BEEN a reliable ally in the global fight against
AIDS, proposing to increase federal funding to about $4 billion next
year. With so much at stake, efficiency is vital, and according to a
growing body of research, one procedure that is relatively inexpensive
and can drastically reduce the transmission of AIDS is male circumcision.

Last fall, the first rigorous trial on the subject conducted in South
Africa found that circumcised men are 60% less likely to contract HIV.
Researchers, who halted the study early because the results were so
convincing, suspect that the foreskin contains a concentration of cells
that are easily infected by the virus. Similar studies in Uganda and
Kenya are expected to release their preliminary findings this summer. If
they're similar, as many predict, health officials and donor countries
such as the U.S. should help increase access to a safe and affordable
procedure that has gone out of favor in most of the world.DITORIAL
An old way to fight AIDS
PRESIDENT BUSH HAS BEEN a reliable ally in the global fight against
AIDS, proposing to increase federal funding to about $4 billion next
year. With so much at stake, efficiency is vital, and according to a
growing body of research, one procedure that is relatively inexpensive
and can drastically reduce the transmission of AIDS is male circumcision.

Last fall, the first rigorous trial on the subject conducted in South
Africa found that circumcised men are 60% less likely to contract HIV.
Researchers, who halted the study early because the results were so
convincing, suspect that the foreskin contains a concentration of cells
that are easily infected by the virus. Similar studies in Uganda and
Kenya are expected to release their preliminary findings this summer. If
they're similar, as many predict, health officials and donor countries
such as the U.S. should help increase access to a safe and affordable
procedure that has gone out of favor in most of the world.

Globally, only a quarter of men are circumcised, and rates are
exceptionally low in many areas where HIV is dangerously prevalent,
including India, Asia and southern Africa. Even with the increased
availability of antiretroviral drugs, AIDS is getting worse in many
parts of the world. In 2005, there were 5 million new cases worldwide
(including 700,000 children), and 3 million people died of the disease.

Since the South African study was released late last year, health
officials in countries such as Botswana and Swaziland have begun phasing
in adult and infant circumcision programs, and waiting lists for the
procedure at clinics are growing. If public clinics are overrun, people
may turn to rural doctors, in which case dangerous and even deadly
infections could occur. There also is concern that newly circumcised men
may increase risky behavior, so any circumcision program should be
accompanied by a strong message reinforcing the need for safe sex.

To a lesser degree, the issue has relevance in the United States.
Overall circumcision rates have fallen to just half of all men in recent
years, and 16 states — including California — have cut funding for the
surgery because of an incorrect belief that it has no medical benefit.
Although HIV rates are considerably lower in the United States than in
other countries, they are highest among minorities and the poor. HIV
rates in those populations could climb once their children become
sexually active.

The United States is to be commended for increasing its funding for HIV
prevention in recent years. And the Group of 8 industrialized nations
has promised to provide universal access to AIDS treatments by 2010.
Properly planned circumcision programs should be part of both efforts.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-circumcision10feb10,0,4751036.story?co
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