Research Highlights Dangers of Male Circumcision in Men

Male circumcision is a famous trend but various researches prove that following circumcision increases one’s chances to get HIV infection. It is quite contrary to the previous research which found various health benefits of male circumcision and some of them even claimed that it reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infections like HIV.

Circumcision is a process that removes the foreskin that is typically a part of the penis. This foreskin removal involves a surgical procedure in which this skin is opened and detached from the glands and cut through an instrument that cuts this foreskin accurately.

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Usually, this procedure is performed during childhood and is a common observation in various religions and cultures. However, it is also done as a part of medical treatment if the doctor recommends it.

In 2007, researches declared male circumcision to be helpful in reducing the risk of HIV. This “voluntary medical male circumcision” even got an endorsement by the World Health Organization that later on announced it to be effective for men against transmitting HIV to their partners.

These statements were based on the study’s results which compared the occurrence of HIV infections in adult men with or without circumcision. However, these statements are now falsified and it is investigated that circumcised males are more prone to get infected with HIV.

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Another study, published in the journal PLOS ONE based on Eastern and South African men over the age of 40 years tells that HIV infections were higher in circumcised men than males who were not circumcised at all. This major contradiction in research is that transmission of HIV via penile-vagina intercourse decreases by 60%. However, only a few individuals understand how significant is this number for them.

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These different study outcomes show that results from every region vary. For example, men in Uganda consider that “men don’t always believe circumcision provides high protection and they don’t always engage in riskier sexual behavior after being circumcised”.

On the other side, another study discussing HIV transmission from men to women in Uganda, the same territory says that circumcision has no effect on the transmission of HIB from men to women.

This 60% reduction in statistical means doesn’t represent an absolute number. When we talk about absolute results, it means that the risk of HIV transmission from men to women is lowered by less than 2%. On the other side, female to male transmission of HIV is also possible. However, it doesn’t make a huge difference if the male is circumcised or not, in this case.