This month, youths in some rural areas will head to secluded huts for circumcision rituals meant to usher them into manhood, an annual rite of passage during the current SA winter, and in the summer at year’s end. But, says a [s]Health24[/s] report, officials are hoping to prevent another wave of injuries and deaths triggered by factors including infection and the tight binding of penis wounds, which cuts off blood supply, as well as sleep deprivation, exposure to winter cold and other harsh conditions. The problem is most severe in the [b]Eastern Cape[/b], where nearly 500 young men have died in circumcision rituals since 2006, including 83 last year. Officials further north in [b]Mpumalanga[/b] province reported 31 deaths in 2013 – [b]SA’s National Prosecuting Authority[/b] announced recently that 23 people, including doctors and traditional surgeons, face charges including negligent killing for the Mpumalanga deaths. The [b]Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa[/b], which promotes traditional values, blamed casualties on untrained opportunists seeking to make money from initiates' families, and announced a partnership with the state and medical professionals to educate villagers about safe circumcision.
[link url=http://www.health24.com/News/Public-Health/In-South-Africa-old-custom-becomes-health-crisis-20140604-4]Full Health24 report[/link]