Researchers Investigating Male Circumcision as HIV/AIDS Prevention Tool in Uganda, ‘The World’ Reports

In the absence of an HIV/AIDS vaccine, researchers have begun investigating whether male circumcision could help protect against contracting the virus, "The World" -- a production of BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston -- reported on Wednesday. Previous studies have shown that African men who are circumcised are less likely than uncircumcised men to be HIV-positive, but because most circumcised men in the region are Muslim, it is unclear if the protective effect is because of the circumcision itself or because Muslim men tend to have fewer extramarital sex partners. In order to evaluate whether circumcision protects against HIV infection, Maria Waver of Columbia University and colleagues have recruited about 3,000 HIV-negative men in Uganda to participate in a clinical trial, in which some men will be circumcised immediately and others will delay undergoing the surgical procedure. The researchers will follow both groups of men to see if there is a difference in HIV prevalence (Fink, "The World," PRI, 6/22). The complete segment is available online in Windows Media.