Circumcision and HIV
It's a fact that since the introduction of this practive in the US in late 1800s there were variety of reasons told to the public to convince people that circumcision is good for health and what not. What were the reasons? Well among others
hemnia, limiting masturbation, insomnia, epilepsy, bedwetting. It's no surprise that all these were disproven.
With time new reasons came out like
balanitis, phimosis, and penile cancer. Now it's known
upenile cancer is extremaly rare to even mention it, and
balanitis happens to anywhere from 1 to 12% of males, and in most cases is caused by poor hygiene, overextensive hygiene, extensive use of regular soap, and forced foreskin retraction by parents.
Terrible mistake by parents of uncut boys, in many cases they are adviced to do so by the doctors(!), retracting foreskin before its natural retraction is asking for trouble, an invitation for infections, hence all the scare about it as many parents do it and then report... yes, infections of their uncut sons. In an intact infant, the proper care is to do
nothing. It can be cured with antibiotics, anti-yeast and steroid creams, circumcision is an extreme way of dealing with the issue (not to mention prevention).
Phimosis is one of the most often misdiagnosed conditions, simply because the foreskin can retract itself when the baby is 1 year old up to puberty. When it doesnt happen in first years parents are scared its actually phimosis [
1]. The phimosis itself when actually happens can be treated in variety of ways like simple streaching during hot shower, again steroid creams [
2] and preputioplasty [
3], with circumcision again being only last resort. British medical reaseraches suggest that the diagnosis is made far too often. Study conducted in Liverpool shows that 0,6% boys by their 15th birthday are affected with pathological phimosis that requires circumcision as a treatment [
4]. There are also scary
UTI's but the appropriate treatment for those, in males as well as females, is antibiotics, not prophylactic excision of the foreskin. According to the AAP, “Urinary tract infections are usually not life threatening and are easily treated in most cases.”
Nowadays it's all about
HIV.
Even though we have already reached the peak of the HIV infections and deaths from AIDS [
5] - still a great opportunity to push this unnecesary surgery. Many believe it's the last chance for circumcision fethishists to preserve this practice. What is weird when you hear someone saying that it prevents HIV you're most likely to hear: "some study in Africa... this and that". Question is why would anyone even consider such research valid to circ boys in the US and anywhere where people do it? Think about it, no offense but its likely that sex education, hygiene standards, condom usage and overall safe sex practice in sub-Saharan Africa may not be up to western world standards. What I want to say is we shouldn't look at some African studies and especially believe it's prevention rate as it does not apply to developed coutries because it's completely different environment.
Why does US have one if not the highest HIV rates among western countries if they practice circumcision so widely? Isn't it at the very least confusing that every country in central and western Europe, also Canada, Australia and Japan have up to 6 times lower [
6][
7][
8][
9] HIV rates than US and at the same time do not practice routine infant circumcision?
The best way to avoid getting infected with HIV is getting educated, practicing safe sex, using condoms if you're not in a committed relationship, avoiding anal and oral sex with strangers. Also treating existing cases with availaible means lowering all risks. Forget circumcision - really.
Many people don't really know that
it is really hard to get HIV through sex. If you're having an unprotected vaginal intercourse with infected partner chance to get infected is 1/2000 for man and 1/1000 for woman [
10] now add condom to that. Remember - no backdoor fun with strangers
. You're more likely to commit suicide than die from HIV/AIDS [
11]. Is it really okay to suggest circimcision as HIV prevention instead of focusing on sexual education? Do circumcised men still use condoms when engaging in casual sex? Would any man or woman decide NOT TO use condoms because of the circumcison status. There were attempts to make this kind of research in the US and other developed countries not Africa, and results were highly inconclusive if any.
Where is the logic and common sense?
I mean, they better get that vaccine ready fast, wonder what the next big reason to cut will be
okerface:.
wrote this for my friends blog, shortened it a bit to make it readable
10 years of FIF
Most Diverse Poster
