5 million circumcised in 3 years

Nearly 5 million men and boys were medically circumcised by programmes supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 12 countries in southern and eastern Africa from 2013 to 2016, according to an article published in the 1 December issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The annual number of voluntary medical male circumcisions (VMMCs) performed by these programmes increased from 2013 to 2015 but declined by 13 percent in 2016 compared to 2015. Almost nine in 10 of the VMMC clients opted to get tested for HIV, with the percentage testing positive in each country ranging from 0.1 to 4.4 percent, and more than seven in 10 returned for a follow-up assessment within 14 days after the procedure (MMWR, 1 December 2017)