Circumcision drastically reduces HIV infections

Foreskin cells up close A study conducted in three African countries has shown that circumcision can considerably reduce the chances of HIV infection. The risk of infection was reduced by 53%, 48% and 60% in the countries tested, implying that male circumcision could potentially avert about six million HIV infections and three million deaths in ...

605539_foreskin_cells5.jpg
605539_foreskin_cells5.jpg

Foreskin cells up close


Foreskin cells up close

A study conducted in three African countries has shown that circumcision can considerably reduce the chances of HIV infection. The risk of infection was reduced by 53%, 48% and 60% in the countries tested, implying that male circumcision could potentially avert about six million HIV infections and three million deaths in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.

This may lead circumcised men to think they are protected, however. They’re not. According to Dr. Kevin De Cock (yes, that’s his real name), director of the HIV/AIDS department of the World Health Organization:

This is an intervention that must be embedded with all the other interventions and precautions we have. Men must not consider themselves protected. It’s a very important intervention to add to our prevention armamentarium.

More from Foreign Policy

A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.

No, the World Is Not Multipolar

The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.
The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.

America Can’t Stop China’s Rise

And it should stop trying.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.

The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky

The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.