Male circumcision should never pre-empt other prevention measures:UN

United Nations, Dec 15 (UNI) UN health agencies have given a guarded welcome to US trials in Africa showing that male circumcision halves the risk of HIV infection in men in heterosexual relations, warning that it should never pre-empt other preventive measures.

Proper guidelines ''will be necessary to prevent people from developing a false sense of security and, as a result, engaging in high-risk behaviours which could negate the protective effect of male circumcision,'' the statement jointly issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Bank said yesterday.

They, further, planned to quickly draw up guidelines after examining the implications, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, where there is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and low male circumcision levels, taking into account cultural and human rights aspects and the need to ensure that circumcisions are performed safely by well-trained practitioners.

''Although these results demonstrate that male circumcision reduces the risk of men becoming infected with HIV, the UN agencies emphasize that it does not provide complete protection against HIV infection,'' the joint statement said.

''Male circumcision should never replace other known effective prevention methods and should always be considered as part of a comprehensive prevention package, which includes correct and consistent use of male or female condoms, reduction in the number of sexual partners, delaying the onset of sexual relations, and HIV testing and counselling,'' it added.

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