Male circumcision helps to prevent HIV acquisition, says Cochrane review

Male circumcision can be considered an effective measure that partially prevents heterosexual men acquiring HIV, concludes a Cochrane Collaboration review released on 15 April.

The report also says that circumcision should be considered as part of an HIV prevention policy where it is feasible and socially and culturally acceptable (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009;(2):CD003362, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003362.pub2).

Evidence from three randomised controlled trials conducted in South Africa, Uganda, and Kenya showed that the procedure reduced the risk of infection by 38% to 66% over 24 months, the report says. The protective effect was so large in each of the …