Zimbabwe MPs Circumcised...

A temporary clinic for carrying out circumcision procedures is erected inside the Parliament House premises in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe MPs are queuing up at the clinic for circumcision, which the UN and WHO believe can reduce the HIV infection. The MP's desperate circumcision exercise is to set an example to their followers, more than a million people of whom are believed to be HIV-positive, with about 500,000 under treatment.

At least 10 Zimbabwean MP have been circumcised as part of a campaign to reduce HIV and Aids cases, up till now.

UNAids and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have researched the subject of HIV transmission, and have concluded that the risk of HIV infection among men could be reduced by 60% through circumcision.

But there are other opinions too. Circumcised men may go for unprotected sex, they fear, and contract the disease, as circumcision by itself is not a prophylactic.

The research merely brings out a strong negative link between circumcision and incidence of HIV infection. No statements have come regarding the cause of the negative link.

Several speculations are however around giving reasons why circumcision may protect against HIV infection.

Specific cells in the foreskin are thought to be potential targets for HIV infection. Following circumcision, the skin under the foreskin becomes less sensitive and is less likely to bleed, reducing the risk of infection.

Blessing Chebundo, the Chairman of Zimbabwe Parliamentarians Against Aids, was the first to undergo the 10-minute operation.