Thursday, May 21, 2015

Binga Men Refuse Circumcision and have lowest HIV rate but listen to Officials (A Critique)

This is a report from http://www.southerneye.co.zw/2015/05/21/binga-men-resist-circumcision/ but listen to the way Officials interpret the obvious that condoms, behaviour and education is more effective than circumcision:  My comments in bold italics

BINGA men are resisting voluntary male circumcision with no one having been circumcised between January and March, according to statistics provided by the National Aids Council (NAC).
BY BATANAI MUTASA
This was revealed on Monday during a Matabeleland North NAC provincial stakeholders’ meeting in Bulawayo.
According to NAC statistics, while no one was circumcised in Binga between January and March, Bubi, Hwange, Tsholotsho, Umguza, Lupane and Nkayi recorded a combined total of 2 359 operations.
Lupane and Nkayi districts had the highest number of volunteers with 1 131 and 535 cases respectively.
NAC Matabeleland North monitoring and evaluation officer Mthokozisi Moyo attributed the resistance in Binga to entrenched cultural beliefs which were against circumcision.
“There is need to strategise ways to teach and persuade people in the district to embrace this exercise lest we compromise other efforts to prevent the spread of HIV,” Moyo said.  Listen to the insistence that these men choose circumcision even though the statistics show with condoms, behaviour and education these men have lower hiv infections.
Male circumcision is reputed to reduce female-to-male sexual transmission of HIV by 60%.
Despite shunning male circumcision, Binga recorded a high uptake of male condoms and a huge response to other programmes to curb the HIV pandemic. The area recorded the lowest seropositivity rates in the province.  Now why isn't this highlight, as more effective than circumcision and probably the answer?  What they are not saying is that This shows that circumcised men are getting higher infection rates than men who use condoms!!!!!!
Seropositivity is the state of having blood serum that tests positive for a given pathogen, especially HIV.
Binga recorded the lowest seropositivity rate in pregnant women of 3,3% while Bubi, Lupane, Nkayi, Umguza, Hwange and Tsholotsho recorded rates of 7,8%, 8,4%, 9%, 11% and 13 %, respectively.
The provincial rate dropped from 12% in the fourth quarter 2014 to 8% in the first quarter 2015.
However, Moyo indicated figures could be skewed owing to incomplete reports received from health facilities.  So women in these tribes have lower HIV because their men are choosing condoms, why isn't this highlighted?
Binga had low sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Matabeleland North at 9% after Lupane which accounted for 8% of STI cases in Matabeleland North.   More evidence condoms better than circumcision in reducing STI's.
Hwange recorded the highest STI cases accounting for 37% of all cases in the province.
“In male condom distribution, Binga district accounted for 37% of male condoms distributed followed by Hwange (18%) while Umguza had the least (2%),” Moyo said.
“Hwange had the highest number of sexual abuse cases (36%), followed by Tsholotsho (29%) and the least reported cases were recorded in Lupane (1%), Umguza (0%) and Binga (3%).”  Here we have direct evidence that higher condom distribution is directly correlated to lower HIV, STI's and SExual Abuse.
Although Binga recorded positive figures in the province, stakeholders underlined the need to consolidate the gains.  Again ignoring the fact circumcision wasn't required to achieve positive outcomes, but they continue to want to promote circumcision because that is their mindset, they've bought into the propaganda.
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, NAC Matabeleland North co-ordinator Dingaan Dube warned that if voluntary male circumcision was not taken up, the risk of new HIV infections would rise in the long run. Totally ignoring and contradicting the facts, that men who refuse circumcision and use condoms end up with better sexual health, lower HIV and STI's.
“We are concerned. Response figures are high from testing and counselling centres and Binga has a lot of people coming forward,” Dube said.   They're concerned?  Concerned that men who use condoms have lower HIV than men who choose circumcision!  Shows the mindset, blind to the facts.
“But the many people in the fishing camps are from different areas and this could worsen the HIV situation in the district.” Totally illogical and opposite to the facts, and obsessed with circumcision.

1 comment:

  1. I'd say they are blinded by the shine of gold. More and more the funds become the apparent goal even to local Joes. It's going to be a scream when they consolidate the positive results of even more tribes not circing but using condoms until they wipe out HIV while only one tribe has stuck to cutting. Accordingly this tribe will be the reason why HIV is no more.

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