Male circumcision to prevent HIV transmission and acquisition: what else do we need to know?

Abstract

There is growing interest and controversy regarding the promotion of male circumcision (MC) for the prevention of HIV transmission in Africa. Three randomized controlled studies has so far been stopped prematurely as evidence accumulated that showed that circumcision was superior to no circumcision in preventing HIV acquisition among sexually active men in Africa. To some people, the evidence is overwhelming and MC should be promoted aggressively. Others suggest cautious decision making. This paper attempts to review a continuum of perceptions and suggest that the decision to scale-up male circumcision cannot just bebased on randomized controlled trial results.