Irene Nabusoba and Halima Shaban
10 July 2009
Kampala — KAYUNGA on Thursday became the first district to launch mass male circumcision aimed at reducing the spread of HIV.
Doctors said the exercise would expand to the rest of the country.
Dr Ahmad Matovu, the Kayunga Hospital superintendent, said they had circumcised 320 men since February. "We circumcise an average of 15 males every Thursday," Matovu said. "The youngest so far was a 13-year-old boy, but the average age is 19 years. The older people are not so receptive."
To facilitate the drive, the theatre at Kayunga Hospital was renovated with support from the Makerere University Walter Reed Project and the US government. The medical staff also received training.
Research carried out in Rakai and other parts of Africa established that circumcised men are less prone to HIV. Prof. Wabwire Mangeni, who participated in the research, said circumcision would be used in conjunction with advocating abstinence, being faithful and using condoms to fight AIDS.
Dr. Zainab Akol, the head of the National AIDS Control Programme, said the Government was formulating a policy for medical male circumcision. One of the proposals is to introduce mandatory circumcision of boys within 24 hours after birth. She said circumcision is also good for maintaining hygiene in the male genitalia.
The health ministry says about 25% of Ugandan men are circumcised.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
