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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Circumcision could help prevent millions of new HIV infections in Africa.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago studied 2,784 HIV negative, uncircumcised men between ages 18 and 24 in Kisumu, Kenya. About one-fourth of uncircumcised men in that area are HIV infected by age 25.
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Half the men in the study were circumcised and the other half was not. Results reveal 47 of the 1,393 uncircumcised men contracted HIV. Only 22 of the 1,391 men who were circumcised contracted HIV -- 53 percent less than the uncircumcised men.
As far as side effects from the surgery, researchers report minor complications, like bleeding or a mild infection, in 1.7 percent of the procedures. There were no serious problems.
Researchers warn circumcised men may feel they are protected against HIV and may practice more risky behavior.
"Circumcision is by no means a natural condom," reports lead author Robert Bailey, Ph.D., from the University of Illinois at Chicago. "We do know that some circumcised men become infected with HIV. But we did find that the circumcised men in our study did not increase their risk behaviors after circumcision. In fact, all men in the trial increased their condom use and reduced their number of sexual partners."
Research shows millions of new HIV infections, tens of thousands of deaths, and millions of dollars can be saved if male circumcision becomes routine in sub-Saharan Africa.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: The Lancet, 2007;369:643-56
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