Warning over male circumcision

The audio is in isiZulu. See summary in English below.

 

MABUTHO: Naphezu kokuba ucwaningo olwenziwe ngabacwaningi baseMelika, kwelaseKenya kanye nase Uganda lubonisa ukuthi ukusokwa kwabesilisa kuyawehlisa amathuba okuthola igciwane lesandulelangculaza kepha ochwepheshe kwezempilo bathi akumele abantu bese bezitshela ukuthi ukusokwa sekuyisixazululo ekuzivikeleni kwigciwane lesandulelangculaza. UDokotela uNomonde Xundu oyinhloko yophiko oluphathelene negciwane lesandulelangculaza emnyangweni wezempilo kuleli uthi nakuba beke bezwa ngalolucwaningo kodwa basafuna ukuthi kebalufakele izibuko.

 

DR NOMONDE XUNDU: Kunama research esiwabonile abonisa ukuthi kumele icircumcision ibhekwe. Kuzomele kesiwabheke kahle lama research ukuthi enziwe kanjani nokuthi baphume kanjani nalemiphumela siphinde sithole ukuthi ngabe lemiphumela yanele yini ukuthi kwenziwe inqubomgomo kanti futhi kuzomele kube nendlela ejwayelekile yokwenza inqubomgobo.

 

MABUTHO: Ngakolunye uhlangothi udokotela Wezi Kaunda oyindodana kalowo owabe engumongameli waseZambia nophinde abe ngusihlalo wenhlangano iDr Kenneth Kaunda Foundation okungenye yezinhlangano ezinkulu ezizimele ezilwisana negciwane lengculaza kwelaseZambia uthi nakuba loluhlobo locwaningo elubonile lwenziwa ezindaweni eziningi kubalwa nasenyuvesi abesebenza kuyona eZambia futhi lunika ithemba kodwa uthi kuningi okumele kwenziwe ngaphezu kokuthi kugqgquzelwe ukusokwa.

 

DR WEZI KAUNDA: There has been a number of studies some of them in my own medical school in Zambia ‘€“ which have shown that male circumcision does help in reducing {HIV/AIDS infection}, but you see we are dealing with a highly infectious virus and therefore it will need more majors then just circumcision.

 

MABUTHO: Nokho udokotela uKaunda uxwayisa ngokuthi akungabe sekumiwa ngokusokwa ukulwisana negciwane ngoba lokho kungaba ingozi enkulu. Uthi okubalulekile kulesisikhathi ukuthi amazwe aseAfrica azibuze ukuthi angalivikela kanjani igciwane lesandulelangculaza.

 

DR WEZI KAUNDA: We should not make its too simple because we will be again making more mistakes. Out job {is to ask ourselves} can we contend the virus? Can we stop the virus? That is what is important for South Africa, Africa and for Zambia. We have now the means, we have the drugs, the knowledge and the man power.

 

MABUTHO: Nokho kubukeka sengathi lolucwaningo lusadinga ukuthi kelubhekisiswe   njengoba izwe laseLesotho linezibalo zabantu abaningi besilisa abasokiwe kodwa libalwa namanye amazwe aseAfrica anezibalo eziphezulu zabantu abaphila negciwane lesandulelangculaza. UDr Molotsi Monyamane ovele kwisikhungo esilwisana nalalubhubhane kwelase Lesotho uthi nakuba kuyizindaba ezithokozisayo ukuthi ukusokwa kuyawanciphisa amathuba okuthola igciwane kodwa uthi akusona isixazululo ekuqedeni igciwane. Uthi mhlawumbe okungase kwenziwe ukuthi njengoba izwe laseLesotho kanye namanye kubalwa nezingxenye zaseNingizimu Africa kunesikhathi lapho abantu besilisa beya entabeni ukuyosokwa kusetshenziswe lelothuba bafundiswe ngokuziphatha kunokuthi batshelwe ukuthi ukusokwa kunciphisa amathuba amathuba okuthola igciwane.

 

DR MOLOTSI MONYAMANE: If we can go in there to empower those men to know that a real man is somebody who respects his partner, who does not beat them up, who does not fight, who does not rape, then we would have gone long way towards prevention.

 

MABUTHO: Loludaba lokubaluleka kokusokwa ekunciphiseni igciwane lesandulelangculaza sekwenze nezikhungo ezihlola amakhambi okuvikela igciwane lesandulelangculaza kubantu ukuthi zigqugquzele ukuba basokwe ukwehlisa amathuba okuthola igciwane. Oyinhloko yesinye salezikhungo iPeri-natal Health Research Unit ezinze eSoweto, uDr Eftyhia Vardas uthi nakuba begqugquzela abantu ukuba basokwe ukuze banciphise amathuba abo okuthola igciwane uma kwenzeka ingozi. Uthi kodwa abantu kumele bazi ukuthi ukuze bazivikele kumele basebenzise amacondoms.

 

DR EFTYHIA VARDAS: Having circumcision might protect you in case there is an accident but you still need to use condoms. So protecting yourself is to use condoms. Having circumcision might have an extra little protection in case there is an accident, but condoms are the way to go to protect yourself.

 

MABUTHO: Ngesikhathi kwenziwa ucwaningo kwelaseKenya kanye naseUganda kwavela ukuthi nakuba bonke abasokiwe nabangasokiwe ababesetshenziselwa ukwenza lolucwaningo baqala balenyusa izinga lokusebenzisa amajazi abakhwenyana kunangaphambilini, kepha emva kweminyaka emibili yocwaningo kuvela ukuthi kwizibalo ezifanayo zalabo abasokiwe nabangasokwanga yababeyingenye yalolucwaningo, baba ngamashumi amabili nambili abasokiwe abathola igciwane – kwathi abangasokiwe baba ngamashumi amane nesikhombisa. Lezibalo zibonisa ukuthi nakuba ukusokwa kulehlisa izinga lokuthola igciwane kepha akusona isivikeli esiphelele.

 

ENGLISH SUMMARY

 

Warning over male  circumcision

 

Medical experts have cautioned against male circumcision being promoted as the only effective method to prevent HIV infection.

Dr Nomonde Xundu, head of government’€™s HIV/AIDS programme says although they have seen reports on male circumcision there is still more to

be done before embarking on policy formulation.

 

“We have noted some research about male circumcision. We are going to

look at how the research was conducted and on how they {researchers} came up with their findings. We also need to look at whether these findings are strong enough to form a policy.”

 

Meanwhile, Dr Wezi Kaunda, son of the former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda and head of the Kenneth Kaunda Children’€™s Foundation says although he is impressed with some of the findings on male circumcision he believes that a holistic approach is the way to go in dealing with the pandemic.

 

“We should not make it too simple because we will again be making more

mistakes. Our job {is to ask ourselves} can we contain the virus? Can

we stop the virus? That is what is important for South Africa, Africa

and for Zambia. We now have the means, we have the drugs, the knowledge

and the man power,” he said.

 

However, some experts have warned that more studies need to be conducted on male circumcision especially in the light of countries such as Lesotho which has the highest number of circumcised men ‘€“ and is counted among the countries with the highestnumber of HIV positive people in the world.

 

Dr Molotsi Monyamane, Executive Director of the Health Lifestyle Clinic and

Diabetes Centre in Lesotho believes that rather than promoting male circumcision, male gathering rituals in the mountains where   traditional circumcisions are conducted should be used to educate men on HIV prevention.  

 

“If we can go in there to empower those men to know that a real man is

somebody who respects his partner who does not beat them up, who does

not fight, who does not rape, then we would have gone a long way towards

prevention,” he said.

 

According to Dr Eftyhia Vardas, director of the HIV/AIDS division at the

Peri-natal HIV/AIDS Research Unit (PHRU) in Soweto,”having circumcision might add an extra little protection in case there is an accident, but condoms are the way to go to protect yourself”.

 

More than 2,000 HIV-negative, uncircumcised men between the ages of 18

and 24 participated in clinical trials in Kenya. Half the men were randomly

assigned to receive circumcision, and the other half remained uncircumcised

for two years.

 

Although all the men in the trial increased their condom use and reduced the number of their sexual partners, at the end of two years 47 of the uncircumcised men had contracted HIV compared to 22 of the circumcised

men.

 

 

 

 

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