Circumcision: Jewish ritual as AIDS prevention tool

It's a Jewish tradition that started during the time of the Bible, with Abraham. On the eighth day of his life, a newborn Jewish male enters into a covenant or brit with God. A mohel, a man trained for the task, skillfully removes the baby's foreskin. Then the celebrations begin.

The origins of the ritual may be connected to its health benefits. Modern medical practitioners recommend circumcisions for male babies in the US because those who have undergone the procedure have fewer infections. More recently, professionals fighting HIV-AIDS have understood that if penises are circumcised, the infection rates and spread of the deadly virus can be reduced.

Last March, based on "compelling evidence," the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS accepted expert recommendations that adult male circumcision be recognized as an "additional important intervention" to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. And according to the United Nations, universal male circumcision in sub-Saharan Africa could help prevent about 5.7 million new infections and three million deaths over a span of 20 years. In a historic first, three doctors from the Muslim community in Senegal came to Israel to learn from the experts how to perform circumcisions. Two health advisors who accompanied them will assist the surgeons in Senegal. The aim is to spread the important message and recruit adult male patients to be circumcised back in Africa, in an effort to prevent the spread of AIDS. While the custom exists among Muslims, and 13-year-old Muslim males are sometimes circumcised, the practice is not as widespread as it is among Jews, and it is certainly not undergone by Muslims in all the African countries, Dr. Yaron Minz, who heads a unit at the Israel Center for Medical Simulation (MSR) tells ISRAEL21c.
Lire l'intégralité de l'article » (Source: article de Karin Kloosterman @ ISRAEL 21c)

Jerusalem AIDS Project

Cinq médecins sénégalais de confession musulmane participent avec des confrères israéliens à une semaine de formation aux techniques de la circoncision, à l'hôpital Hadassah Ein Kerem de Jérusalem.