News / Health
70 000 men under voluntary circumcision
07 Jul 2012 at 16:13hrs | Views
THE Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in conjunction with its partners has since the beginning of the year circumcised 70 000 men under the ongoing voluntary medical male circumcision (VMC) programme aimed at reducing the spread of HIV and Aids in the country,the Chronicle reported.
Speaking during the HIV and Aids Capacity Building workshop for journalists in Kwekwe yesterday, the National Coordinator of Aids and TB Unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Ms Gertrude Ncube said the on-going exercise was an initiative of the Government in fighting the deadly disease.
"A total of 70 000 males have so far undergone medical circumcision under the voluntary male circumcision programme and the HIV testing and counselling uptake for the VMC is 100 percent. Our statistics indicate that 80 percent of those circumcised are aged between 15 and 49," she said.
However, she could not give last year's figures for the period under review.
Ms Ncube said the programme was part of the Government's HIV and Aids prevention strategy.
"You will realise that this programme has a lot of benefits as it also protects people against contracting STIs and it also helps prevent penile and cervical cancer and urinary tract infections in infants. Research has also proved that circumcision protects men against acquiring HIV by at least 60 percent," she said.
According to the World Heath Organisation (WHO) 665 million (30 percent) of the world's population has been circumcised.
Ms Ncube said this year they targeted to circumcise at least 100 000 men under VMC programme.
She urged uncircumcised males to undergo the operation, saying they targeted to circumcise 1.2 million people by 2015.
"We target at least 1.2 million males by 2015 and that would avert 600 000 new HIV infections," she said.
Ms Ncube said the Government intended to establish male circumcision centres in each of the country's 10 provinces. She, however, said they were facing challenges of funding and shortage of doctors to conduct surgical operations.
The Ministry is also conducting a pilot project on the new circumcision method, which uses rings to remove the foreskin.
"The Ministry is in the process of compiling are a report on the use of a new circumcision device. The results of the report would be given out soon," said Ms Ncube.
The director of monitoring and evaluation in the National Aids Council (NAC), Mr Amon Mpofu said under their five year strategic plan they intended to prevent new HIV infections and reduce the mortality and morbidity through universal access to treatment.
Speaking during the HIV and Aids Capacity Building workshop for journalists in Kwekwe yesterday, the National Coordinator of Aids and TB Unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Ms Gertrude Ncube said the on-going exercise was an initiative of the Government in fighting the deadly disease.
"A total of 70 000 males have so far undergone medical circumcision under the voluntary male circumcision programme and the HIV testing and counselling uptake for the VMC is 100 percent. Our statistics indicate that 80 percent of those circumcised are aged between 15 and 49," she said.
However, she could not give last year's figures for the period under review.
Ms Ncube said the programme was part of the Government's HIV and Aids prevention strategy.
"You will realise that this programme has a lot of benefits as it also protects people against contracting STIs and it also helps prevent penile and cervical cancer and urinary tract infections in infants. Research has also proved that circumcision protects men against acquiring HIV by at least 60 percent," she said.
According to the World Heath Organisation (WHO) 665 million (30 percent) of the world's population has been circumcised.
She urged uncircumcised males to undergo the operation, saying they targeted to circumcise 1.2 million people by 2015.
"We target at least 1.2 million males by 2015 and that would avert 600 000 new HIV infections," she said.
Ms Ncube said the Government intended to establish male circumcision centres in each of the country's 10 provinces. She, however, said they were facing challenges of funding and shortage of doctors to conduct surgical operations.
The Ministry is also conducting a pilot project on the new circumcision method, which uses rings to remove the foreskin.
"The Ministry is in the process of compiling are a report on the use of a new circumcision device. The results of the report would be given out soon," said Ms Ncube.
The director of monitoring and evaluation in the National Aids Council (NAC), Mr Amon Mpofu said under their five year strategic plan they intended to prevent new HIV infections and reduce the mortality and morbidity through universal access to treatment.
Source - chronicle
