Washington Post examines circumcision as HIV prevention strategy

"Although circumcision's effect on protection against HIV is clear -- three studies have shown a 60 percent reduction in risk to men -- as a public health strategy, it is fraught with caveats," the Washington Post reports. Though uncertainty exists about the degree of protection the procedure provides, especially for specific groups such as men who have sex with men, and "[m]any ethnic groups have strong cultural traditions against the procedure," "many AIDS researchers and advocates view it as a strategy that needs far more promotion since it provides some protection to men having sex with infected women," according to the newspaper. The article includes a summary of data and studies on circumcision (Brown, 7/25).