The Kindest Cut campaign
London - To mark World AIDS Day (1st December), Marie Stopes International is launching The Kindest Cut campaign to increase awareness of male circumcision in combating the spread of HIV infection and increase availability of male circumcision services for men in Sub Saharan Africa.
Through the year long campaign MSI also aims to encourage greater investment from the international donor community - particularly European donors – in programmes to provide male circumcision in Sub-Saharan African countries that have a high HIV prevalence.
As part of the campaign MSI is releasing a new 6 minute film on male circumcision as well as a fact sheet. The film was shot in Malawi and features health professionals and clients stating the case for including male circumcision programmes as part of an arsenal of interventions to combat HIV/AIDS.
Between 2002 and 2006, several randomised controlled trials in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa found that male circumcision can reduce the rate of HIV by up to 60% 1. Subsequently, both the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS named male circumcision as a key intervention in halting the spread of HIV in Africa.
MSI responded rapidly to these findings by launching a model for delivering male circumcision in outreach settings in 2007. Within 18 months, MSI’s team in Kenya had performed over 5,300 procedures and raised awareness amongst over 100,000 Kenyans in Nyanza province about the benefits of male circumcision, and the need to continue practicing safer sex using condoms after the procedure has been carried out.
“It is essential that these programmes convey the need for safer sex practices to continue after circumcision,” said Heidi Quinn, MSI’s Male Circumcision Technical Advisor.
“Being circumcised is not a charter for young men to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse. The protection offered to men by circumcision is significant, but not entire, and condom usage must continue if the health and wellbeing of men and women is to be safeguarded.” Quinn also pointed out that male circumcision is an ideal entry point for encouraging men into a more informed and healthy reproductive and sexual health lifestyle, by encouraging them to consider broader screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections; checks for testicular cancer; HIV counselling and testing; and information on family planning and services for their partners.
Following the success of its pilot in Kenya, MSI has already started rolling out its model across Sub-Saharan Africa, and now has male circumcision outreach programmes running in Malawi, Zambia and Swaziland and is looking to countries such as Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Mozambique to expand its programme.
“Making male circumcision available to vulnerable male populations is a cost effective intervention, and can be introduced within existing sexual and reproductive health centres and mobile outreach facilities if training for staff is provided,” added Heidi Quinn.
“Through MSI’s Kindest Cut campaign, we hope to encourage other providers, and both local and national health systems across Sub-Saharan Africa to recognise the importance of male circumcision in HIV prevention, and to make it available to men throughout the region.” “In order to do this, greater engagement from the donor community is required, which is another aim of this campaign.”