Intervention increases uptake

An intervention that addresses supply and demand for voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) significantly increased the number of Zambian men opting to become circumcised and their condom use, a cluster randomized trial published in The Lancet HIV has shown. Men who received the “Spear and Shield” intervention at local health centres were about 2.5 times more likely to get circumcised compared to men in the comparison group. The authors write that the study provides the first clinical trial evidence of the potential effect of a comprehensive behavioural intervention combined with increased availability of VMMC on uptake and post-circumcision risk behaviour. An editorial notes that although the intervention was successful, it did not have a significant effect on VMMC uptake among older men (The Lancet HIV, 13 April 2015).