Researchers found that condom use among the newly circumcised men
increased by 30 percent compared to the uncircumcised group where the
use rose by only 6 percent. Photo/FILE
By SARAH OOKO, sooko@ke.nationmedia.com
Men who opt for circumcision are more likely to
engage in responsible sexual behaviour than their uncircumcised
counterparts, a new study shows.
The study was published in the current July issue of the prestigious AIDS and Behaviour Journal titled Risk
Compensation Following Male Circumcision: Results from a Two-Year
Prospective Cohort Study of Recently Circumcised and Uncircumcised Men
in Nyanza Province, Kenya.
The long term study compared the behaviours of 1,
588 newly circumcised men with 1,598 uncircumcised men for a period of
24 months in Nyanza province.
Researchers found that condom use among the newly
circumcised men increased by 30 percent compared to the uncircumcised
group where the use rose by only 6 percent.
This is consistent with earlier research which found that circumcised men consider condoms more comfortable and easier to use.
Dr Robert Bailey, Principal Investigator of the
study from the University of Illinois stated that the results of the
study also showed that circumcised men reported declines in other HIV
risk behaviours.
They included less frequent casual sex, reduced incidence of transactional (paid) sex and fewer sexual partners.
There have been concerns from some policy makers
and stakeholders that VMMC could increase the spread of HIV by
encouraging risky behaviours - such as indulgence in unprotected sex -
among circumcised men who believe that the ‘cut’ offers them immunity
against the disease.
“We hope that these findings will convince all
those who’ve been sceptical about Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision
(VMMC) to finally embrace it,” noted Professor Walter Jaoko, Chair of
the University Of Nairobi Medical Microbiology Department and the Deputy
Director of the Kenya Aids Vaccine Initiative (KAVI), who participated
in the study.
He noted that the new study has significantly
reinforced the effectiveness of VMMC with regards to it reducing HIV
transmission.
Mr James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary of Health
stated that the government will continue rolling out VMMC programmes in
regions where male circumcision has historically been low, especially in
Nyanza province.
He noted that advocacy and sensitisation on the
significance of VMMC is crucial to reduce stigma linked to the practice
(mainly due to cultural beliefs) and promote its acceptance.
“We are also encouraging parents to circumcise
their children while they are still young as it’s easier and beneficial
to do so then,” he said.
Nyanza suffers the highest HIV prevalence in Kenya
(15.1 percent) and contributes approximately one third of the nation’s
new infections.
It is also the region with lowest rate of male
circumcision (66 percent), based on the current Kenya Aids Indicator
Survey (KAIS).
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