Please forgive the breach of etiquette if starting a new thread to respond to a query posted in an ealier one is considered a no-no.
Peaches,
It’s interesting that you should mention STD transmission and circumcision. The East Bay Express has a cover story this week on this topic.
Here’s a link:
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/current_issue/cover_current.html
If you have trouble finding it, it’s in the May 19, 2000 issue, titled “The Case For Circumcision.”
No breach of etiquette for me. In fact, thanks very much
for the lead. I sent it on to my SO who has been pounding the idea of STDs being a significant conduit for the spread of HIV in Africa since forever. I remember early on in the epidemic [late 80s or early 90s] there was an article on male circumcision in Africa and HIV transmission - wonderful epidemiological maps that clearly showed a correlation.
But as one of the sources in the article said: don’t mix up roasting marshmellows with sleeping bags.
Our two sons are not circumcised [more to do with being anti female genital mutilation than anything else - what’s not good for the goose is not good for the gander]. But it has always been our “song and dance” that each must practice good hygiene and keep it clean.
I am not convinced that trying to circumcise every male on the planet will end the HIV epidemic. It might do more harm than good because finding a clinic that is clean, safe and
has anesthetics is not as easy as one would think. It is more common to find broken microscopes with slides that are stained, scratched, broken and still used. It is more common to find clinics with little in terms of soap, disinfectants, sharp surgical tools or the people trained to use them correctly. but you will always find a semi-cool bottle of beer, soap, sugar or salt in the most remote places. Why not condoms too? I am not as optimistic as Halperin about African men submitting to the knife, yet, as a woman, African men won’t discuss this with me. Let’s see what my SO will say to that.
One more point to raise: I guess I wasn’t so clear about whose circumcision I was talking about in my earlier post.
I was referring to FGM in Africa and whether this act posed a higher risk for HIV tranmission for women. I haven’t seen or heard of anything in terms of research or even pondering “off the top of my head” think pieces. Again, let me know if you have anything on this topic.