July 21, 2009

Study: Male Circumcision Alone Does Not Reduce HIV Risk in Women

New research warns that the while male circumcision may have some public health benefits, the surgery alone does not reduce the risk of HIV transmission from men to women, Times Online reports.

According to the article, 922 HIV-positive uncircumcised Ugandan men ages 15 to 49 participated in the study, published July 17 in The Lancet. Half of the group remained uncircumcised while the rest went through with the surgery. Male participants’ HIV-negative female sex partners were enrolled in the study and given information on HIV prevention. After two years, results showed that 18 percent of the 90 women in the circumcised group had contracted the virus, compared with 12 percent of the 70 women in the uncircumcised group.

Researchers believe that most of the infections occurred because some of the uncircumcised men had intercourse before their wounds had completely healed.

While researchers do not discourage programs that make circumcision more accessible for men at risk for transmitting HIV, they suggest that women become more involved and encourage their partners to use condoms.

The trial was canceled before it was completed, as researchers felt it was questionable to carry on.

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