SWAZILAND: Circumcision gives men an excuse not to use condoms

[tennisdude23]

I thought this was a nice follow up to the NPR Story. Perhaps, somebody should send this to the health officials in Uganda as well as to those running the US funded AIDS prevention programs in Africa.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79557

[Lauren82]

This was exactly what I feared would happen with the whole "Circ reduces the risk of HIV" garbage.

[Fellow Traveler]

Do you all know what is the most amazing thing about this whole mess? I'll tell you. The people making the most sense are the men in Africa. Let me illustrate:

"The problem is not with the procedure, but the way it is abused by men, so that men think they are now immune from HIV contagion," said Siphiwe Hlope, an HIV-positive woman and founder of the support group, Swazis for Positive Living (SWAPO).

No, the problem is with the procedure. The problem is it doesn't work in the way that you NGOs are advertising. No matter what you say it is not going to be understood in the way you mean by the population at large.

"It's the law of unintended consequences," said a Zambian doctor who treats HIV/AIDS patients at government hospitals, and who declined to be named. "Introducing the procedure, there was insufficient attention given to cultural factors, attitudes and human psychology.

In some sense it is the law of unintended consequences except any dope who knew the aversion to condoms in the population means that they are looking for any excuse not to use them. And now they have one.

Contrast those two statement with what I assume is just your average man on the street.

When told that counsellors at Mbabane Government Hospital would advise him to carry on using condoms even after the operation, Dlamini said, "It is painful to get circumcised. If I have to wear a condom anyway, what is the point?"

Now that is a surprisingly rational assessment. He seems to under stand the options, and it's easy there are only two: don't get circumcised and always use a condom or get circumcised and always use a condom.

Anyone who didn't/doesn't see this coming is a dope. The question remains whether the problem will be recognized by the bureaucrats. I don't think it will.

[Microsoap]

I'm not kidding when I say this: Some African countries think men infected w/ HIV/AIDS can "get rid it" by raping a virgin girl. The think circumcision is an "invisible condom". These are they myths they believe.

Education and safer sex practices is what reduces infection. Also, monogamy.

[fruitful womb]

Originally Posted by Microsoap

I'm not kidding when I say this: Some African countries think men infected w/ HIV/AIDS can "get rid it" by raping a virgin girl. The think circumcision is an "invisible condom". These are they myths they believe.

Education and safer sex practices is what reduces infection. Also, monogamy.

:

[ferretbees]

As if war and hunger isn't enough.

If circumcision become standard practice, we can expect more AIDS orphans. Women in Africa already have a hard time insisting on condom usage - this will set the entire safe sex campaign back to square one.

My coworker had the opportunity to go to South Africa and visit an AIDS orphanage run by Con and Marion Cloete (my company did pro-bono work on their website http://www.botshabelo.org/).

Since the beginning of the establishment of the community, there was a point where they would average one funeral per week. While not all the children who live at Botshabelo are stricken with HIV, those that do rely on donations to purchase their medication.

There is also a movie http://dolfilms.org/angels/index.html which is available on http://www.netflix.com.

[Nandi]

Some respected people in Africa claim that condoms cause HIV.
The Guardian reports http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007....international

This attitude is really not helpful

"The archbishop of Maputo, Francisco Chimoio, told the BBC that he had specific information about a plot to kill off Africans. "I know that there are two countries in Europe ... making condoms with the virus, on purpose," he alleged. But he refused to name the countries."

[Papai]

Gee, who didn't see this coming?

I hope Halperin, Bailey etc. are happy with themselves.