Is traditional male circumcision effective as an HIV prevention strategy? Evidence from Lesotho

PloS One
Elisa M Maffioli

Abstract

In many developing countries, male circumcision has been promoted as an effective HIV prevention strategy, and medical randomized controlled trials have indeed shown a causal link. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support this conclusion in countries where individuals can voluntary opt for different types of circumcision. The present study considers male circumcision in Lesotho, where HIV prevalence is among the highest in the world (23%). Here, men can opt for one of two types of circumcision: traditional male circumcision in initiation schools, or the medical option in health clinics. This paper investigates whether the former has medical effects on individual HIV status that are as beneficial as those shown for the latter. Controlling for the potential individual behavioral response after the operation, it was found that circumcision performed in initiation schools wholly offset the medical benefits of the surgical procedure. This supports anecdotal evidence that the operation performed by traditional circumcisers does not have the same protective effect against HIV transmission as the medical operation. No evidence of "disinhibition" behavior among circumcised men was found, nor differential risky sexual beha...Continue Reading

References

Jan 2, 2007·Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases·Thomas C Quinn
Sep 18, 2008·Bulletin of the World Health Organization·Robert C BaileyStephanie Rosenberg
Dec 3, 2010·Bulletin of the World Health Organization·Andrea WilckenBruce Dick
Jun 4, 2011·International Journal of Behavioral Medicine·Karl PeltzerQueen Kekana
Jun 15, 2011·The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANAC·Karl PeltzerQueen Kekana
Jun 30, 2012·Demography·Adeline Delavande, Hans-Peter Kohler
Oct 20, 2012·PloS One·Amir Sabet SarvestaniKathleen H Sienko
Jan 1, 2014·Journal of Development Economics·Nicholas L WilsonChristine L Mattson

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
Circumcision
circumcisions
ELISA

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