Africa: The Global Fund Should Actively Promote Male Circumcision

Article here. Excerpt:

'Male circumcision is a high-impact and cost-effective method of curbing the spread of HIV infection, Karanja Kinyanjui says. "It is time for a massive scale up of these programmes."

As the campaign for an AIDS-free generation by 2015 gains momentum, the Global Fund will play a crucial role in achieving this target because it is a major funder of health programmes globally. The Fund should actively promote the inclusion of male circumcision in programmes as it is a high impact and cost-effective method of curbing the spread of HIV infection.

Male circumcision as an effective anti-HIV strategy has already received support from influential leaders globally. In November last year, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said male circumcision was one of three interventions that could help achieve the goal of an AIDS-free generation, a policy that the US government would pursue. This political support is crucial for the male circumcision campaign to gain momentum.'