Ugandan study shows impact on HIV

An increase in the number of non-Muslim men who are circumcised has led to substantial reductions in new HIV infections among men in Rakai, Uganda, a study has found. Presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections on 27 February, the study was conducted to assess the impact of scaling up medical male circumcision in Rakai District since 2007. The analysis of data from annual community surveys among men ages 15 to 49 excluded Muslims, who would have been circumcised anyway for religious reasons, and it controlled for the use of antiretroviral drugs by women over time. Circumcision coverage among non-Muslim men increased from 9 percent in 2007 to 26 percent in 2011, and every 10 percent increase in coverage was associated with a 12 percent reduction in new HIV infections (Aidsmap, 27 February 2015).