Feature story

New clearinghouse on male circumcision for HIV prevention launched

23 February 2009

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The site is a clearinghouse for the generation and sharing of authoritative information about the role of male circumcision in HIV prevention.
Credit: malecircumcision.org

A new web site on male circumcision for HIV prevention was launched today by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), and Family Health International (FHI).

The site — www.malecircumcision.org — is designed to be a clearinghouse for the generation and sharing of authoritative information about the role of male circumcision in HIV prevention. The information has been reviewed by technical experts from around the world and provides evidence-based guidance to support the delivery of safe male-circumcision services as one component in a comprehensive approach to HIV-prevention services.

“The Clearinghouse will be continually updated with emerging information on country progress in expanding access to safe male circumcision services, including lessons learned in implementation,” said Dr. Catherine Hankins, Chief Scientific Adviser to UNAIDS. “Providing access to tools and guidance, the Clearinghouse is an essential website aid for all those working on male circumcision for HIV prevention,” she added.

 

Providing access to tools and guidance, the Clearinghouse is an essential website aid for all those working on male circumcision for HIV prevention

Dr Catherine Hankins, UNAIDS Chief Scientific Adviser

UNAIDS led the preparatory UN work plan on male circumcision and supports WHO as the lead for UN implementation support for the introduction or expansion of safe, voluntary male circumcision services. UNAIDS recommends that male circumcision always be considered as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package. Key UNAIDS materials on male circumcision are included on the new web site.

“The Clearinghouse will serve as the ‘one-stop-shopping’ site for the most recent news, research, and resources on the use of male circumcision to prevent HIV, says Dr. Kim Eva Dickson, medical officer for HIV prevention in the health sector, WHO. “We want to attract the attention of the international public-health community—including scientists, civil-society groups, policy makers, health providers and programme managers.”

Resources include:

  • A browsable database of hundreds of scientific abstracts and full-text articles
  • An inventory of research activities on male circumcision
  • Tools and guidelines for provider training and programme scale-up
  • Evidence-based protocols and guidelines
  • A compendium of better and best practices
  • An opportunity to sign up for an RSS feed on news related to male circumcision
  • A global mechanism for exchanging and integrating information on male circumcision programmes and associated services

“Circumcising men is among the most promising public health tools to reduce new HIV infections in areas most affected by the epidemic,” said Al Siemens, PhD, CEO of Family Health International.

“We are proud to have helped produce such a practical and evidence-based resource for health professionals interested in improving men’s access to high quality male circumcision services as a component of comprehensive HIV prevention efforts.”