Sunday 26 October 2014

LAKE ZONE: 320,000 males undergo ‘cut’ in 3 regions: doctor

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
 By The Citizen Correspodent

Some 320,000 men voluntered for circumcision by last month in three Lake Zone regions in a campaign to prevent HIV spread.

The IntraHealth International managing director, Dr Lucy Mphuru, said the campaign was conducted in Shinyanga, Simiyu and Mara.

Dr Mphuru said they targeted the regions after realising that there was extremely low male circumcision rates.

She said male circumcision was important in preventing HIV prevalence apart from other sexually transmitted diseases.

According to Dr Mphuru, in the past many people did not support the campaign, but nowadays many of them were being circumcised.

She said the ministry of Health and Social Welfare was involved in the project, which was funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr Mphuru said that the campaign had been witnessed by the Population Services International (PSI) ambassador who is also an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer, Amanda Leigh “Mandy” Moore.

“The exercise has managed to reduce the prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases for males and females by 60 per cent. It is a continuing project and we hope to reach other six regions: Iringa, Tabora, Mbeya, Rukwa, Geita and Mwanza,” said Dr Mphuru.

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