Adult men across Rwanda are flocking to health centres to get circumcised, and a new, surgical-free procedure is making the process easier then ever. Woza reports that last November, Rwanda launched a campaign to 'non-surgically' circumcise 700,000 men by the end of 2016. Touted by the World Health Organisation as a way to decrease heterosexual transmission of HIV by 60%, voluntary adult male circumcision is now encouraged by countries across southern and eastern Africa.
An Israeli company is pioneering a device called PrePex that is making mass circumcision easier than ever. Using just two plastic rings, one elastic ring, and a piece of thread, the device constricts blood flow to the foreskin, causing it to die over the course of a week, when it can then be removed without blood, stiches, or anaesthesia. Quicker and safer than the standard surgical method, PrePex has proved practical for low-resource settings and large-scale rollout.
Circumcision is not traditionally a part of Rwandan culture, yet social norms seem to be changing as an apparent circumcision 'craze' sweeps the country. A 2010 study showed that about 17% of Rwandan men were circumcised, but that roughly half of men, citing the decrease in STI transmission and hygiene concerns, were interested in getting circumcised. By 2018, the country aims to have 66% of the male population circumcised.
Despite its ease of use, there are conflicting studies regarding PrePex's cost effectiveness. Funded by the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; the US and the UN, circumcisions, both PrePex and traditional surgical methods, are free to the public. As the first country to conduct a large-scale rollout of PrePex, Rwanda will serve as a model for other countries to learn from.
[link url="http://allafrica.com/stories/201502161852.html"]Full Woza report[/link]