We Need to Ramp Up Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Services to Reach an AIDS-Free Generation

November 29, 2017We should prioritize the scale-up of VMMC interventions. It ' s cost-effective and saves lives.In its first year, IntraHealth International ’sToharaPlus project circumcised enough men in Tanzania to fill the Johannesburg soccer stadium (the largest in Africa) 2.5 times. That ’s225,093 clients, to be exact.Why is this important?Because HIV is the single largest cause of death among men of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa. Scaling up voluntary medical male circumcision (or VMMC) to reach 90% coverage among men ages 10-29 —in addition to the HIV reductions can achieve by reaching the 90-90-90 UNAIDS treatment targets—could further reduce HIV incidence and do so at a cheaper long-term cost than treatment-only strategies.The UNAIDS targets call for 90% of people living with HIV to know their HIV status, 90% of people who know their status to receive treatment, and 90% of people on HIV treatment to be virally suppressed. If achieved, this would translate to73% of all people living with HIV achieving viral suppression by 2020. These goals are predicated upon reaching primary prevention targets, including 80% male circumcision in priority settings by 2020.Scientific evidence demonstrates that voluntary medical male circumcision reduces males ’ risk of HIV acquisition through heterosexual intercourse by about 60%, andfollow-on studies have shown that this level of protection increases over time to reach 74%.VMMC programs are also an important entry poi...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news