New partnership scales-up male circumcision
London - MSI has joined forces with Population Services International (PSI), Jhpiego, and The Population Council, to dramatically expand access to Male Circumcision (MC) services in Zambia and Swaziland over the next five years.
Working closely with the governments of both countries, the MC Partnership estimates that it will provide voluntary MC services to more than 650,000 men in one of the largest roll-outs of MC services ever. The programme will include extensive behavior change communications for both women and men to highlight the need for safer sex practices and continued condom use.
The MC Partnership is sponsored by PSI with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Scientific research has shown that MC reduces HIV infection among men by 60%, more than any vaccine currently under development. Both the World Health Organization and UNAIDS have named MC as a key intervention in halting the spread of HIV in Africa.
“Safe male circumcision in combination with other prevention programs has a critical role to play in the global effort to fight HIV/AIDS,” said Regina Rabinovich, Director of Infectious Disease Development in the Gates Foundation Global Health Program. “Studies confirm that safe, voluntary male circumcision has been shown to reduce HIV transmission rates and help save lives.”
MSI has helped to pioneer the delivery of MC services in Africa during recent years, beginning with a pilot MC outreach programme in Kenya. MSI’s role in the MC Partnership’s programme in Zambia and Swaziland is to establish national networks of public, private and NGO health service providers. Special emphasis will be placed on reaching remote, rural areas via outreach teams. Under the MC Partnership, MSI Zambia has already begun to deliver MC services.
At the end of the five-year period, research findings and lessons learnt by the MC Partnership will be widely disseminated. MSI and its partners expect that this initiative will provide answers on how to effectively scale up MC and how effective it can be in battling the AIDS pandemic.