New innovations

In response to international trials which have shown that the chances of getting HIV are reduced by up to 60% when men are circumcised, Marie Stopes Kenya has been piloting an innovative male circumcision programme. The programme is attracting a lot of interest across the sexual health field and may provide a future model for use across the whole of Africa.

Using their expertise in the sexual and reproductive health field, a roving clinical team from Marie Stopes Kenya has been traveling between hospitals and clinics in Western Kenya over the past year performing the procedure and demonstrating how to make it safer. As well as greatly reducing the chance of getting infected, circumcision also helps to protect against other sexually transmitted infections which can facilitate HIV infection.

The team has also been promoting a message of safer sex. Circumcision doesn't provide an immunity to HIV, but when combined with using condoms, the indications are that it could potentially make a huge difference in the fight against HIV.

Just one of the innovations that Marie Stopes International is pioneering.