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Results of new studies by the National Institutes of Health show that male circumcision can cut the transmission of HIV by up to 53 percent.

In a report in today’s NY Times,

Circumcision appears to reduce a man’s risk of contracting AIDS from heterosexual sex by half, United States government health officials said yesterday, and the directors of the two largest funds for fighting the disease said they would consider paying for circumcisions in high-risk countries.

Dr. Mark Dybul, executive director of President Bush’s $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, said in a statement that his agency “will support implementation of safe medical male circumcision for H.I.V./AIDS prevention� if world health agencies recommend it.

He also warned that it was only one new weapon in the fight, adding, “Prevention efforts must reinforce the A.B.C. approach — abstain, be faithful, and correct and consistent use of condoms.�

The NY Times also reported that male circumcision benefits women, citing a study of the medical records of 300 Ugandan couples last year which estimated that circumcised men infected with H.I.V. were about 30 percent less likely to transmit it to their female partners. And earlier studies on Western men have shown that circumcision significantly reduces the rate at which men infect women with the virus that causes cervical cancer.

For more information on prevention, transmission or HIV testing, check out the CDC website on HIV/AIDS and if haven’t already, get yourself tested today!

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