Kenya Health Service to Encourage Circumcision in Health Facilities

This year, many Kenyan communities will circumcise boys as a rite of passage, including the Bukusu community which "plans to circumcise about 20,000 young boys in traditional ceremonies -- without the assistance of trained medical staff or even properly sterilised equipment," Inter Press Service writes. Nicholas Muraguri, who heads the nation's AIDS/STD Control Programme "says out of the total young men to be circumcised, statistics indicate that 40 percent will end up with complications, some of which will be life-threatening and could lead to death." Muraguri also said instances where one knife is used to circumcise multiple boys could lead to increased risk of HIV transmission, and he discussed how his department is promoting "health facility-based circumcision" (Anyangu-Amu, 8/24).

Back to other news for August 2010