WHO says circumcision may reduce HIV risk

MONTREAUX, Switzerland, March 28 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization, following a conference in Switzerland, says male circumcision should be seen as a means of reducing the risk of HIV infection.

After meeting with representatives of the UNAIDS Secretariat in Switzerland earlier this month, WHO officials recommended that male circumcision be considered as an effective source in the battle against the spread of HIV, Medical News Today said.

"Countries with high rates of heterosexual HIV infection and low rates of male circumcision now have an additional intervention which can reduce the risk of HIV infection in heterosexual men," WHO official Dr. Kevin De Cock said. "Scaling up male circumcision in such countries will result in immediate benefit to individuals."

The group's decision was based on findings from three recent medical trials in Africa, that found that the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men decreased by 60 percent when circumcision occurred.

Medical News Today said that currently only 30 percent of the world's men, approximately 665 million in total, are already circumcised.