Published on July 31, 2012 at 7:20 AM
Bloomberg Businessweek reports that "[c]ircumcision is in the spotlight again after a German court ruling has pitted those who support it for religious and health reasons against those who say boys should have the right to decide for themselves" and discusses how the procedure's role in "helping prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa" is "[l]ost in the debate." According to the news service, "Circumcision is picking up in Africa as a pragmatic health measure to ward off disease," including HIV, herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV). "Some mild adverse effects may occur, especially when circumcision is done when the patient is older or when the practitioner hasn't been properly trained, according to a review of more than 50 studies published in 2010," which also found severe complications are uncommon, the news service writes. Bloomberg examines circumcision policies and laws of the WHO and several countries (Wainer/Bennett, 7/29).
 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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