There is an approach in South Africa when it comes to sex education and HIV awareness called ABC. This stands for Abstain, Be Faithful, Condomise. Given the HIV rate continues to increase (at least here in KwaZulu Natal – KZN), the government has set up circumcision camps. This involves a doctor from each hospital every month or two spending a full day or two carrying out circumcision after circumcision.
The only one requirement in getting a circumcision is that the man needs to be HIV negative. This is because there is one study that shows that men who are circumcised have a lower rate of getting and giving HIV during unprotected sex.
Yesterday, a sixteen year old boy came to OPD to request a circumcision so that he can have lots of sex without a condom and not catch HIV. The doctor who saw him in OPD was not impressed and took the opportunity to educate him but also booked him in for the snip. Today, I carried out the operation. I did it all by myself and felt it went quite well (if I can say so). I had seen it carried out once before – a good five weeks ago. It is very much a see one, do one, teach one culture when it comes to medicine.
It did make me think that the new SA approach should be ABCD – Abstain, Be Faithful, Condomise, Don’t condomise just get a circumcision.
Unfortunately changing attitudes towards sex is a very slow process. It is not helped by the example set by some in authority e.g. the President, Mr Zuma. Zuma was acquitted of rape prior to taking up office. He ran as his defence that the woman was wearing a short skirt and so was provoking him. Enough said.
I'm sorry, but this is madness! Circumcising a kid who thinks it will enable him not to have to use a condom? How is that not going to increase the spread of HIV rather than decrease it? If a condom is used, how is the circumcision even beneficial?
ReplyDeleteI don't mean this as a criticism of you, but of this policy. Why are they not making more of an effort to treat everyone who is already infected with HIV? That's been shown to reduce transmission much more than circumcision, which has never shown any protective effect outside of a highly controlled research setting.