Index by author

To maintain high circumcision prevalence, voluntary medical male circumcision programs in East and Southern Africa need to plan for sustainability and conduct transition assessments early on, rather than waiting until the saturation of priority targets at the end of the program.

To maintain high circumcision prevalence, voluntary medical male circumcision programs in East and Southern Africa need to plan for sustainability and conduct transition assessments early on, rather than waiting until the saturation of priority targets at the end of the program.

Early infant male circumcision (EIMC) conducted by nurse-midwives using the AccuCirc device was safe and less costly per procedure than when conducted by doctors: for nurse-midwives, US$38.87 in vertical programs and US$33.72 in integrated programs; for doctors, US$49.77 in vertical programs.

Early infant male circumcision (EIMC) conducted by nurse-midwives using the AccuCirc device proved safe, feasible, and acceptable to parents in Zimbabwe. The AccuCirc device has the potential to facilitate widespread scale-up of safe EIMC in sub-Saharan Africa.

To maintain high circumcision prevalence, voluntary medical male circumcision programs in East and Southern Africa need to plan for sustainability and conduct transition assessments early on, rather than waiting until the saturation of priority targets at the end of the program.

To maintain high circumcision prevalence, voluntary medical male circumcision programs in East and Southern Africa need to plan for sustainability and conduct transition assessments early on, rather than waiting until the saturation of priority targets at the end of the program.

Despite the absence of national policies and strategies, early infant male circumcision is routinely offered at all levels of the health care system in Cameroon and Senegal, mainly because of community demand. Improving medical male circumcision will require service guidelines, preservice training, investigation of surgical and nonsurgical devices, supply chains, data collection tools, engaged communities to raise awareness, and communication strategies for men.

Swaziland is the first country to introduce national early infant male circumcision (EIMC) into voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programming for HIV prevention. With more than 5,000 EIMCs performed between 2010 and 2014, Swaziland learned that EIMC requires inclusion of stakeholders within and outside of HIV prevention bodies; robust support at the facility, regional, and national levels; and informed demand. Expansion of EIMC and VMMC has the potential to avert more than 56,000 HIV infections in Swaziland over the next 20 years.

Swaziland is the first country to introduce national early infant male circumcision (EIMC) into voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programming for HIV prevention. With more than 5,000 EIMCs performed between 2010 and 2014, Swaziland learned that EIMC requires inclusion of stakeholders within and outside of HIV prevention bodies; robust support at the facility, regional, and national levels; and informed demand. Expansion of EIMC and VMMC has the potential to avert more than 56,000 HIV infections in Swaziland over the next 20 years.

Swaziland is the first country to introduce national early infant male circumcision (EIMC) into voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programming for HIV prevention. With more than 5,000 EIMCs performed between 2010 and 2014, Swaziland learned that EIMC requires inclusion of stakeholders within and outside of HIV prevention bodies; robust support at the facility, regional, and national levels; and informed demand. Expansion of EIMC and VMMC has the potential to avert more than 56,000 HIV infections in Swaziland over the next 20 years.

During a pilot project in Tanzania’s Iringa region, more than 2,000 male infants were circumcised in less than 2 years in 8 facilities, representing 16.4% of all male births in those facilities. The age of the infant at circumcision and the time of return for follow-up visits varied significantly between urban and rural dwellers. Early infant male circumcision (EIMC) outreach activities and use of health outposts for follow-up visits should be explored to overcome these geographic barriers. EIMC programs will also require targeted investments in demand creation, especially among fathers, to expand and thrive in traditionally non-circumcising settings such as Iringa.

Early infant male circumcision (EIMC) conducted by nurse-midwives using the AccuCirc device proved safe, feasible, and acceptable to parents in Zimbabwe. The AccuCirc device has the potential to facilitate widespread scale-up of safe EIMC in sub-Saharan Africa.

To maintain high circumcision prevalence, voluntary medical male circumcision programs in East and Southern Africa need to plan for sustainability and conduct transition assessments early on, rather than waiting until the saturation of priority targets at the end of the program.

Key elements of Lesotho’s phased introduction of early infant male circumcision were strong commitment from the Ministry of Health and donors; adequate training and supervision; integration with maternal, newborn, and child health; and appropriate communication. Challenges around cultural acceptance, the availability of health care providers, and task sharing will need to be addressed.