Can Circumcision Curb AIDS?

presence of an intact foreskin,” says the Short-Szabo paper, “has consistently been shown to be the single most significant factor associated with the much higher prevalence of HIV in countries of the Aids belt.” The link is stronger than with more familiar indicators such as promiscuity, other sexually transmitted diseases and multiple marriages. Even more startling evidence came from a recent study in Uganda, reported in February. This showed that among a large group of “discordant couples”—where one is infected and one not—no circumcised males became infected over 30 months, even though their wives were HIV-positive. Short describes these results as “staggeringly significant.” Outside Africa there is the same pattern. Countries with low circumcision rates, such as Thailand, India and Cambodia, have between 10 and 50 times the rates of infection compared with countries with high circumcision rates, such as the Philippines, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Once they get ethical clearance in Australia, Short and Szabo intend to test their conclusions by applying live HIV virus to newly removed foreskins to check its rate of uptake. They could have definite results within weeks. If experimentally confirmed, the implications are radical. Short and Szabo believe that about 80 per cent of male HIV infections in the world happens through the foreskin. Future generations could be saved if mass circumcision began now. Short believes his findings should be spread globally, as rapidly as possible. “There has been insufficient focus on prevention,” he said, “and too much emphasis on the search for a vaccine.” Despite the billions poured into research, there is still no sign of an Aids vaccine. By Bryan Appleyard The Times of India, Tuesday, March 28, 2000