June 1, 2009

Botswana Launches Male Circumcision Initiative to Prevent HIV

Botswana’s government recently launched an awareness campaign to encourage 460,000 men to get circumcised by 2012 in an effort to reduce the risk of HIV transmission, Agence France-Presse reports. A UNAIDS report estimates that the effort could prevent about 70,000 new infections by 2025.

According to Botswana’s health ministry, the initiative was inspired by studies affirming that circumcised men were two to three times less likely to contract HIV. The Botswanan government is using television and radio to boost the visibility of the new circumcision drive and encourage men to visit clinics for the procedure.

It is estimated that the process could cost the country about $47 million.

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