Doctor suggests including circumcision in aids control policy

Taipei, Mar 31 (UNI) A Taipei City Hospital's doctors has suggested including a foreskin removal operation in AIDS prevention policies because the procedure lowers infection rates by 50 per cent.

Wang Yung-Woi, director of the hospital's Department of Infectious Disease Control, yesterday made the suggestion at an activity hosted by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) to discuss preventative measures and celebrate a decade of success in the application of a drug cocktail treatment of AIDS, reports Central News Agency of Taiwan.

Wang suggested that the simple circumcision operation be included among measures to reduce the spread of HIV-AIDS.

Speaking on the same occasion, a CDC spokesman pointed out Taiwan spent NT$ 1.17 billion through health insurance expenditures to fund a cocktail treatment that has been proven to extend the lives of patients.

David Ho, inventor of the cocktail therapy and an international AIDS treatment authority, was also present at the activity, the spokesman said, adding that Wang'suggestion is in agreement with Ho's obsorvation that research in Europe, Americal and Africa shows circumcision helps cut the rate of HIV infection.

UNI