Namibian men slow to embrace circumcision

In Namibia, the government’s hopes of having at least 80 percent of eligible men circumcised by the end of next year are dwindling, the Namibian Sun reports. Since voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) services were launched in 2009, only 16,341 men (5 percent) have been circumcised. The country’s health minister noted that a rapid scale up of the VMMC programme is needed, particularly in the northern and northeastern regions, which have the highest rates of HIV infection and the lowest rates of male circumcision. He urged men and boys to take advantage of the VMMC services available in all 33 district hospitals and called on women to support their sons, boyfriends, male friends, and husbands to go for circumcision (Namibian Sun, 22 June 2014).