MV MAGAZINE

Baltimore, USA, Benefits of circumcision in men increasingly longer. In addition to reducing the risk of contracting HIV through heterosexual sex, men who are circumcised are also far from the risk of human viral pappiloma virus (HPV) that cause venereal disease.

HPV is very common virus and consists of more than 100 strains that cause most genital warts (genital warts). Infection of several types of HPV that can cause cancer settled.

HPV is also the main cause of cervical cancer in women and penile cancer and anal cancer. While a good immune system can clear this infection in some people.

"People who are infected with HIV often suffer from HPV infection and therefore lower their immune system becomes very vulnerable to develop HPV-related cancers," said Prof. Dr. Ronald H. Gray of Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore, as quoted from Reuters, Monday (19/4/2010).

A recent study reported in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, found that circumcision can reduce cancer-causing HPV infection rate by 33 percent in men who are HIV-negative and amounted to 23 percent in men who are HIV-positive. These results after each compared with men who are not circumcised.

The study involved 210 men and 840 HIV-positive men who are HIV-negative women between the ages of 15-49 years. In addition to reducing risk of HPV infection, circumcision could also boost the immune system that makes a person avoid infection.

"The problem of HPV and HPV-related cancers are quite heavy in the area of sub-Saharan Africa, but the possibility of circumcision could have a benefit in terms of preventing cancer in both men and women," said Dr. Gray, who is also a senior researcher in the study of Uganda.

World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended circumcision as a way to reduce HIV risk in men. Also in countries that have high HIV cases, recommendations can not be refuted except circumcision because of medical reasons.

"Decrease in the prevalence of HPV associated with the implementation of circumcision is a significant but modest," said Drs Raphael V. Viscidi and Keerti V. Shah who is also from Johns Hopkins University.

Circumcision is estimated to reduce heterosexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases including HPV can cause genital warts through several mechanisms.

One way is to reduce the number of affected mucosal tissue during sexual intercourse, it makes the access virus into the body of the target becomes limited. Thickened skin that forms around the wound of circumcision could help prevent the entry of viruses into the body.