Circumcised men are less likely to be infected with AIDS virus. Studies have shown that men whose foreskin has been removed are six to eight times less likely to become HIV positive but there has been some debate about the reason for the lower infection rate. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland, found that circumcision had a protective effect against HIV, but not against other sexually transmitted diseases (STD's) such as syphilis or gonorrhoea. The practice of male circumcision varies throughout the world and is influenced by cultural and religious attitudes. Researchers studied men in India, where circumcision is not so common, between 1993 and 2000. The 2,298 men in the study group were attending one of three STD clinics and were HIV negative at the start of the study. Their HIV status and risk behavior were assessed regularly. This data confirmed the previous findings that male circumcision reduces the risk of HIV acquisition. Because circumcision did not prevent the men from infection with other STD's, the study supports the hypothesis that protection is due to the removal of the foreskin, which contains cells that have HIV receptors which scientists suspect are the primary entry point for the virus into the penis. The researchers found that the foreskin has an important role in the biology of sexual transmission of HIV and have therefore recommended male circumcision as a means to prevent the spread of HIV.

The Lancet,
March 2004