Is Uganda ready for mass circumcision?
Jul 11, 2010
RECENTLY, the media reported that the Government is set to launch a national policy on safe male circumcision to encourage men and boys to seek circumcision from health facilities.
By Irene Mirembe
RECENTLY, the media reported that the Government is set to launch a national policy on safe male circumcision to encourage men and boys to seek circumcision from health facilities.
Reports show that the policy emphasises that safe male circumcision is an alternative HIV control measure. This is a very important strategy especially if we consider the HIV situation in Uganda today, where over 100,000 Ugandans get infected with the HIV virus every year.
Male circumcision is believed to guarantee various benefits ranging from lowering the possibilities of sexual related diseases like syphilis, gonorrhoea, genital herpes, and penile or cervical cancers.
Care should be taken, however, that the mass male circumcision programme does not interrupt general health service provision, especially in terms of resource allocations and time.
The writer works with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Centre for Communication Programme
RECENTLY, the media reported that the Government is set to launch a national policy on safe male circumcision to encourage men and boys to seek circumcision from health facilities.
Reports show that the policy emphasises that safe male circumcision is an alternative HIV control measure. This is a very important strategy especially if we consider the HIV situation in Uganda today, where over 100,000 Ugandans get infected with the HIV virus every year.
Male circumcision is believed to guarantee various benefits ranging from lowering the possibilities of sexual related diseases like syphilis, gonorrhoea, genital herpes, and penile or cervical cancers.
Care should be taken, however, that the mass male circumcision programme does not interrupt general health service provision, especially in terms of resource allocations and time.
The writer works with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Centre for Communication Programme