Circumcision may protect against Aids? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Cervantes · 08-16-2006, 09:27 AM

http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story/0,,1851224,00.html

Quote:

Circumcision may be the answer to Aids, says Clinton

Sarah Boseley in Toronto
Wednesday August 16, 2006
The Guardian

Bill Clinton called for the world to prepare to tackle the cultural taboos surrounding circumcision yesterday if, as many expect, trials show that it protects men and the women they sleep with from Aids.

In a speech to the International Aids conference in Toronto, Canada, Mr Clinton said that if the trials had good results, there would be a major job of persuasion ahead. "Should this be shown to be effective, we will have another means to prevent the spread of the disease and to save lives, and we will have a big job to do," he said. "It is important that as we leave here we all be prepared for a green light that could have a staggering impact on the male population but that will be frankly a lot of trouble to get done."

The problems would be most obvious in India where Muslims are circumcised but Hindus are not, and the difference is associated with religious identity. During sectarian violence, men have been known to pull down each other's trousers as a means of identifying friend from enemy.

In Africa studies have shown that men are willing to be circumcised if it can be shown to be protective against HIV.

There is excitement about the potential for circumcision in preventing Aids. Last year researchers from South Africa and France announced that in a trial of 3,274 men from near Johannesburg randomly chosen either to be circumcised or not, those who underwent the procedure had a 60% lower risk of acquiring HIV afterwards than those who did not.

Three further studies are under way in Kenya and Uganda, according to a report published yesterday at the conference by the Global HIV Prevention Working Group. They are looking at different age groups of men and ways of carrying out the circumcision operation. One of the trials is following 7,000 women in Uganda to see whether they are less likely to get HIV if their partners have been circumcised. The results are expected next year.

The potential for preventing HIV through circumcision was one of the interventions spoken of with most hope in Toronto this week. Mr Clinton also backed opt-out schemes for HIV testing, such as that being introduced in Lesotho. "If it is done right, Lesotho's infection will plummet and more people will live," he said.

He understood the fear of discrimination, which existed when a friend of his died of Aids in the 1980s, "but there is a different equation today".

Some human rights groups are anxious that pressure could be exerted on people to be tested without help and treatment being available. The knowledge to stop the pandemic exists, Mr Clinton said, and must be used.

More than 15 million children in sub-Saharan Africa will have lost one or both parents to Aids by 2010, according to the UN which says the world has failed youngsters. At the launch of a report entitled Children Affected by Aids in Toronto, Michel Sidibe of UNAids said children were "the missing face" of the pandemic.

I find this very interesting, female to male infection occurs because of the mucous membranes (with it's surface bloodvessels) of the head of the penis and inside the vagina rub together opening up a rather obstructed path for HIV to spread to a new host.
By circumcision, you remove the protective skin of the penis and forces the mucous membranes to grow thicker and sturdier. I could definently see this working.

But.. Male to female infection is a whole other deal. The virus has two paths, the mucous membranes which still has some rather serious obstacles and the semen. Since there are trace ammounts of blood in semen that creates a much better way for the virus to spread, I wouldn't be too hopefull that circumcision would have any significant effect.

What's your take on this?

Crack · 08-16-2006, 10:15 AM

Fore is more! That is my battle cry, and i'll be god-dammed if someone is going to try to remove my sweater from my snake! That should be a movie... Snakes in a Sweater...

Sage · 08-16-2006, 11:12 AM

If it helps, it helps, but it's not addressing the social causes of the spread of Aids, namely that it's OK in Africa (if I'm remembering right) to have two or three or more lovers outside of your marriage and people really don't care about using condoms. Personally, I don't think there's much anyone can do about the spread of AIDS because it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get people to change a socially accepted and ingrained behavior such as extra-marital affiars in Africa and religious identity in India. It's unfortunate, but true.

cookmo · 08-16-2006, 11:28 AM

The thing about AIDS in Africa, is even if they found a cure tomorrow, the healthcare system is so lax that they could not possibly get it to people.

Below is a paper I wrote for my english comp 2 class about how I weiw the situation. It's not the best paper, kind of "campy" in my opinion, but hey-it got me an A!

"Africa Is Dying"

Africa is dying. It has become a land of sick babies and grandparents. There is a generation missing from the population, a generation who have died of AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 10% of the world’s population, it is also home to a staggering 28.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS, that’s 60% of all known cases worldwide (United Nations).

Over the past 20 years the HIV/AIDS epidemic has totally decimated every facet of African life, from economy, to community, to family.

The already poverty stricken countries of Sub-Saharan Africa are buckling under the added pressure of a shrinking workforce. Many companies are absorbing the costs of hiring and training up to four people to do the same job, because one or two will surely die of AIDS. It is hard to believe that in place where hunger is so prevalent, crops would rot in the fields, but they do without any workers to pick them (DATA).

Community and family are also greatly affected by the AIDS epidemic. With so many sick and dying, there are major shortages in healthcare workers, teachers, and community leaders in general. In addition, there is one irreplaceable segment of society, parents. It is estimated that there will be 18 million AIDS orphans by 2010. Many of these orphaned children are sick also, 1,400 newborn babies are infected by childbirth or breastfeeding every day in Africa (DATA).

The global fight against HIV/AIDS has come a long way in the last 20 years. Currently, governments from around the world have banded together and earmarked billions of dollars to help combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Africa. These funds will go to much needed programs in education, prevention, and treatment. However, pumping in billions of dollars into countries with collapsed healthcare systems will do nothing to curtail the HIV/AIDS epidemic. One solution to this problem would be to allocate a certain percentage of HIV/AIDS funds to go towards general healthcare recovery.

The healthcare system in most of Africa is appalling. Often there only hospitals in major cities and these are severely under funded. One example of the extreme lack of funds can be seen in the 2006/07 health budget for Kenya, a country with the population of 32 million, which allots only $15 per person (Nguyen). Dirty, dimly lit wards with no clean water or medical supplies are the norm through out much of Africa. All of these factors contribute to the largest problem with the healthcare system in Africa; there are no doctors or nurses. A large number of doctors and nurses are lured away to work in other countries because of the poor wages and working conditions in Africa. In the last five years Kenya has lost almost 4,000 nurses to jobs overseas, and with an average wage of $275 a month, most are happy to go (Nguyen).

Josie Glausiusz, a researcher and World Bank consultant, says that when traveling in Africa, “They give you a syringe and say, carry this with you, and avoid all the health care that you can.”

While researching hundreds of papers on Africa, Glausiusz concluded that the unsanitary conditions found in most of Africa’s healthcare system are major contributing factors to the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus. Glausiusz cites a study done in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which found that 39% percent of the areas HIV-positive infants came from mothers with no infection. The HIV-positive infants had all previously received vaccinations for common childhood illnesses, which lead Glausiusz to conclude that the infants were most likely infected by the re-use of the needles used to vaccinate them.

Using some of the HIV/AIDS relief funds to strengthen Africa’s healthcare system would build the beginning foundation for a strong platform that could effectively fight the AIDS epidemic. If hospitals had workable budgets that could afford such simple but necessary items such as clean water, new syringes, rubber gloves, and dignified wages, many healthcare professionals would opt to stay in their native countries (Rosenburg).

Many AIDS advocates will object to this plan with tight fists, not wanting any of the hard-earned funds funneled to any program that is not directly an AIDS prevention, or treatment program. However, with the current shortage of healthcare workers many of Africa’s countries do not have the resources to test people for HIV/AIDS, let alone treat them. Currently many Africans do not even bother to get tested, because they know that if they test positive for the virus, no treatment will be available to them (Rosenburg).

The HIV/AIDS crisis is one that threatens every aspect of humanity. The world must take on the responsibility of saving those African nations that cannot save themselves. If serious changes are not made in the way the epidemic is dealt with, and the future predictions of many tens of millions of AIDS orphans are allowed to come to fruition, the whole world will suffer. A generation of unloved, unguided, lawless people living on the fringe of society will do great damage. As seen in places like Afghanistan, these kinds of hopeless, poor conditions are where terrorism is born, and the volatile conditions in Africa make for prime breeding grounds (Rosenburg).

hotzot · 08-16-2006, 12:21 PM

Thats one double blind study I'm glad I wasn't part of. "Hello Mr. Hotzot please sit down, Now do you have AIDS? No? good, are you circumcised? Yes? please stand it that line over there. What? The lady of the evening might or might not have AIDS. After you've done your business, we'll test you in a few months to see if you've gotten AIDS. No we'll pay you your $25 after you've orgasmed. Next please!"

08-16-2006, 10:15 AM	#2 (permalink)
Crack Misanthropic Location: Ohio! yay!	Fore is more! That is my battle cry, and i'll be god-dammed if someone is going to try to remove my sweater from my snake! That should be a movie... Snakes in a Sweater... __________________ Crack, you and I are long overdue for a vicious bout of mansex. ~Halx

08-16-2006, 11:12 AM	#3 (permalink)
Sage hoarding all the big girl panties since 2005 Location: North side	If it helps, it helps, but it's not addressing the social causes of the spread of Aids, namely that it's OK in Africa (if I'm remembering right) to have two or three or more lovers outside of your marriage and people really don't care about using condoms. Personally, I don't think there's much anyone can do about the spread of AIDS because it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get people to change a socially accepted and ingrained behavior such as extra-marital affiars in Africa and religious identity in India. It's unfortunate, but true. __________________ Sage knows our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's She answers hard acrostics, has a pretty taste for paradox She quotes in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus In conics she can floor peculiarities parabolous -C'hi

08-16-2006, 12:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
hotzot We're having potato pancakes! Location: stalag 13	Thats one double blind study I'm glad I wasn't part of. "Hello Mr. Hotzot please sit down, Now do you have AIDS? No? good, are you circumcised? Yes? please stand it that line over there. What? The lady of the evening might or might not have AIDS. After you've done your business, we'll test you in a few months to see if you've gotten AIDS. No we'll pay you your $25 after you've orgasmed. Next please!" __________________ The Bully Boys are here!

08-16-2006, 11:28 AM	#4 (permalink)
cookmo Insane Location: Ohio	The thing about AIDS in Africa, is even if they found a cure tomorrow, the healthcare system is so lax that they could not possibly get it to people. Below is a paper I wrote for my english comp 2 class about how I weiw the situation. It's not the best paper, kind of "campy" in my opinion, but hey-it got me an A! "Africa Is Dying" Africa is dying. It has become a land of sick babies and grandparents. There is a generation missing from the population, a generation who have died of AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 10% of the world’s population, it is also home to a staggering 28.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS, that’s 60% of all known cases worldwide (United Nations). Over the past 20 years the HIV/AIDS epidemic has totally decimated every facet of African life, from economy, to community, to family. The already poverty stricken countries of Sub-Saharan Africa are buckling under the added pressure of a shrinking workforce. Many companies are absorbing the costs of hiring and training up to four people to do the same job, because one or two will surely die of AIDS. It is hard to believe that in place where hunger is so prevalent, crops would rot in the fields, but they do without any workers to pick them (DATA). Community and family are also greatly affected by the AIDS epidemic. With so many sick and dying, there are major shortages in healthcare workers, teachers, and community leaders in general. In addition, there is one irreplaceable segment of society, parents. It is estimated that there will be 18 million AIDS orphans by 2010. Many of these orphaned children are sick also, 1,400 newborn babies are infected by childbirth or breastfeeding every day in Africa (DATA). The global fight against HIV/AIDS has come a long way in the last 20 years. Currently, governments from around the world have banded together and earmarked billions of dollars to help combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Africa. These funds will go to much needed programs in education, prevention, and treatment. However, pumping in billions of dollars into countries with collapsed healthcare systems will do nothing to curtail the HIV/AIDS epidemic. One solution to this problem would be to allocate a certain percentage of HIV/AIDS funds to go towards general healthcare recovery. The healthcare system in most of Africa is appalling. Often there only hospitals in major cities and these are severely under funded. One example of the extreme lack of funds can be seen in the 2006/07 health budget for Kenya, a country with the population of 32 million, which allots only $15 per person (Nguyen). Dirty, dimly lit wards with no clean water or medical supplies are the norm through out much of Africa. All of these factors contribute to the largest problem with the healthcare system in Africa; there are no doctors or nurses. A large number of doctors and nurses are lured away to work in other countries because of the poor wages and working conditions in Africa. In the last five years Kenya has lost almost 4,000 nurses to jobs overseas, and with an average wage of $275 a month, most are happy to go (Nguyen). Josie Glausiusz, a researcher and World Bank consultant, says that when traveling in Africa, “They give you a syringe and say, carry this with you, and avoid all the health care that you can.” While researching hundreds of papers on Africa, Glausiusz concluded that the unsanitary conditions found in most of Africa’s healthcare system are major contributing factors to the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus. Glausiusz cites a study done in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which found that 39% percent of the areas HIV-positive infants came from mothers with no infection. The HIV-positive infants had all previously received vaccinations for common childhood illnesses, which lead Glausiusz to conclude that the infants were most likely infected by the re-use of the needles used to vaccinate them. Using some of the HIV/AIDS relief funds to strengthen Africa’s healthcare system would build the beginning foundation for a strong platform that could effectively fight the AIDS epidemic. If hospitals had workable budgets that could afford such simple but necessary items such as clean water, new syringes, rubber gloves, and dignified wages, many healthcare professionals would opt to stay in their native countries (Rosenburg). Many AIDS advocates will object to this plan with tight fists, not wanting any of the hard-earned funds funneled to any program that is not directly an AIDS prevention, or treatment program. However, with the current shortage of healthcare workers many of Africa’s countries do not have the resources to test people for HIV/AIDS, let alone treat them. Currently many Africans do not even bother to get tested, because they know that if they test positive for the virus, no treatment will be available to them (Rosenburg). The HIV/AIDS crisis is one that threatens every aspect of humanity. The world must take on the responsibility of saving those African nations that cannot save themselves. If serious changes are not made in the way the epidemic is dealt with, and the future predictions of many tens of millions of AIDS orphans are allowed to come to fruition, the whole world will suffer. A generation of unloved, unguided, lawless people living on the fringe of society will do great damage. As seen in places like Afghanistan, these kinds of hopeless, poor conditions are where terrorism is born, and the volatile conditions in Africa make for prime breeding grounds (Rosenburg).