Male Circumcision Program to Begin in Uganda

"The Ugandan government will begin a nationwide male circumcision programme in July as part of its HIV prevention strategy, a senior government official has said," IRIN/PlusNews reports. There has been "criticism of the delay in launching the circumcision programme," which the government began drafting in 2008. "We needed funding; PEPFAR ... has stepped in to give the ministry and its partners US$5 million for male circumcision over the next year," Alex Opio, assistant commissioner in Uganda's health ministry said. According to IRIN/PlusNews, circumcision is "relatively new to Uganda, where only 25 percent of the adult men are circumcised." However, one study found that "62 percent of men in four districts would consider being circumcised," IRIN/PlusNews reports (6/29).

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