US$18.5 million grant makes male circumcision a top-tier HIV prevention strategy

After reviewing the results of the three circumcision trials, experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) concluded that the evidence that male circumcision provides partial protection against HIV infection was compelling. They recommended that safe and voluntary male circumcision be considered part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy. The Consortium's partners have worked closely with WHO to ensure that the Consortium's objectives support the WHO/UNAIDS recommendations, and that its activities complement the global health community's efforts to reduce the number of new HIV infections by increasing the number of circumcised men.

The Male Circumcision Consortium's objectives are to:

• Support the Government of Kenya and other local partners in developing and implementing a national male circumcision strategy.
• Expand a male circumcision research and training center in Kisumu to train providers, build the capacity of health facilities, and monitor clinical outcomes.
• Identify and address any misunderstandings about male circumcision for HIV prevention.
• Conduct research to identify the safest, most effective ways to provide voluntary male circumcision as part of a comprehensive package of HIV prevention services.

"Expanding male circumcision services is a great opportunity to engage men to take greater responsibility for HIV prevention," says Feddis Mumba, country director, EngenderHealth-Kenya. "By reaching a population that does not usually access health services, we can maximize opportunities to educate men about behaviour change and the importance of shared sexual decision-making, which would improve health outcomes for both men and women."

About Family Health International

Since 1971, Family Health International (FHI) has been at the forefront of public health research, prevention, care, and treatment in the developing world. FHI delivers services and conducts research in HIV/AIDS, other infectious diseases, and reproductive health to improve the lives and well-being of some of the world's most vulnerable people. For more information, visit www.fhi.org/en/male_circumcision/mcc.

About EngenderHealth

EngenderHealth works to improve the health and well-being of people in the world's poorest communities by transforming the quality of sexual and reproductive health services. EngenderHealth will contribute to a national training plan and system to build a skilled health work force to provide male circumcision, and will conduct research to assess the feasibility of non-physicians (e.g.,. nurses) providing circumcisions and the efficacy of outreach efforts to increase access to these services. For more information, visit www.engenderhealth.org.

About the University of Illinois at Chicago

Since 1995, UIC's Robert Bailey and colleagues have conducted research on male circumcision and HIV infection in Africa. UIC's portion of the grant will be used to expand a medical circumcision training center to build capacity in Kenyan public health facilities and among private practitioners to provide safe circumcisions in the context of full HIV prevention services. UIC investigators and collaborators will also conduct research to evaluate the safety and quality of circumcision and other HIV prevention services. For more information, visit www.uic.edu.