Development and Cooperation


	Contributions from the Column Monitor Bolivia split over government plans Male circumcision reduces AIDS risk German volunteers in developing countries 81 journalists killed in 2006 Debate on impact of Paris Declaration Much remains unresolved in EPA talks Trade in blood diamonds continues US to boost the military attention it pays Africa Fewer wars and cases of genocide 02/2007		Male circumcision reduces AIDS risk The circumcision of men considerably reduces the risk of HIV infections. The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) came to this conclusion in a study of almost 8000 men in Kenya and Uganda. In December, the NIAID stopped the research programme ahead of time. Interim results had shown that the rate of infection among trial participants who were circumcised was only half that of uncircumcised men. According to the institute and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the results suffice to show that the circumcision of men could significantly reduce the number of AIDS infections in Africa and Asia. Moreover, researchers from Johns Hopkins University are currently working in Uganda trying to find out whether the circumcision of HIV-infected men also reduces the risk of infection for female sexual partners. But both the WHO and the NIAID warn against regarding circumcision as an alternative to other preventive measures. They promote using condoms and refraining from changing sexual partners frequently. Carelessness might reduce circumcision’s protective effect, said NIAID director Anthony Fauci. According to the BBC, the Ugandan government wants to scrutinise the study before making an official statement on male circumcision. The WHO estimates that the NIAID findings will lead to more people demanding circumcisions in a number of countries, which could exceed the capacities of health-care institutions. The study in Kenya and Uganda confirms previous research in South Africa and India. According to physicians, the reason circumcision reduces the risk of AIDS is that the foreskin contains cells especially prone to HIV infection. (ell)