news bites

Towards mass circumcision

South Africa and other African nations should consider mass male circumcision to slow the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, researchers said at an AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa.

Neil Martinson of South Africa's perinatal HIV/AIDS research unit said that circumcision could reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 60%, although it did not offer total protection from the virus.

“I think this is very conclusive evidence,” he said. Noting what he called a deafening silence toward circumcision on the part of South Africa's administration, Mr Martinson urged it and other African governments to consider expanding the number of circumcisions carried out in hospitals and clinics. Circumcision is less common in southern and eastern Africa than in northern African and most parts of western Africa (www.reuters.co.uk).

Clinton to the rescue

The foundation of the former US president Bill Clinton has negotiated big price cuts for generic versions of second line AIDS drugs. The new deal, which also covers easier to take preferred drug preparations, will halve the cost of the drugs for better-off developing countries in Latin America and Asia and cut prices by 25% in poor countries, which were already paying lower …