Although studies
have shown that men who are circumcised may be at a
lower risk of HIV infection, the procedure is becoming less
common in the United States, particularly on the East
and West coasts, reports The Columbus Dispatch. U.S. circumcision rates fell
7.2% between 2001 and 2003 to a 50-year low of 55.9%,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Circumcision rates are lowest on the East and West
coasts, and highest in the Midwest, where 77.8% of
male babies are circumcised. But overall rates of the
procedure are falling in every region of the country,
federal health officials say.
The main reason
for the decline is that many leading health agencies and
professional organizations say the procedure is not
medically necessary--and as such many insurance
companies have stopped covering it. The American
Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend circumcision,
calling it an elective cosmetic procedure.
But some health
officials have begun to tout the studies showing that
circumcision lowers HIV risks as a reason to circumcise
newborn baby boys. Studies in Africa have shown that
circumcised heterosexual men are 60% less likely to
become infected with HIV through unprotected sex.
Although most research on circumcision has focused on
straight men, researchers say their findings likely
also apply to gay men who engage in unprotected anal
sex.
Researchers
believe circumcision helps protect against HIV because the
foreskin of the penis contains a high concentration of cells
that HIV can infect and sexual fluids can become
trapped under the foreskin and placed in prolonged
contact with these cells. Removing the foreskin limits the
cells' exposure to sexual fluids. (Advocate.com)
