Circumcision promoted - 12 Aug 2006 - Technology & ScienceThe protective effect of circumcision against HIV...
Hm. Before we let funding get funneled by Richard Feachem into mass circumcision -- circumcision with its political / religious ramifications (sorry) -- we need to step back and look at these studies.
Went researching: From
Australian AIDS Fund Incorporated
Critics have noted that the studies into circumcision ignored sexual behaviour and culture. It has been suggested, for example, that a more conservative attitude to sex among Muslims, who usually account for most of the circumcised groups in the studies, might explain the lower rate of infection.
A review last year by the Cochrane Collaboration, a non-profit group that conducts rigorous assessments of healthcare issues, poured cold water on the circumcision idea. Of the 34 studies it examined, none met the standards of a fully random clinical trial that took into account religious or behavioural factors.
There was a strong association, the authors said. But they concluded:
"We found insufficient evidence to support an interventional effect of male circumcision on HIV acquisition in heterosexual men."
crossposted at
moon's favors