Lack of Resources, Leadership Hindering Male Circumcision Campaign in Uganda, PlusNews Reports

"Ugandan men have been seeking medical male circumcision in droves since the government launched a national policy in 2010, but the health system is not equipped to handle the caseload, slowing down the potential HIV prevention benefits of the campaign," PlusNews reports. A recent WHO report found that "just 9,052 circumcisions were carried out in Uganda in 2010, against more than four million men who would need to be circumcised for the country to reach its 80 percent target," the news service writes, adding that if that goal is reached within five years, it could potentially avert close to 340,000 new HIV infections, according to WHO estimates.

The same report "found that Uganda's male circumcision [campaign] lacked leadership, with no prominent national champion," according to PlusNews, which adds that "PEPFAR is supporting much of Uganda's male circumcision activities and, since May, has conducted several mobile male circumcision clinics, recording high volumes in all the areas it has visited so far" (10/31).