RACP Medical Journal of Australia response to push for routine infant circumcision in Australia

In a recent editorial, Cooper and colleagues recommend increasing infant circumcision to combat increasing rates of heterosexual transmission of HIV infection, and contend that the major obstacle to increasing male circumcision in Australia is a Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) policy. [1]

“The case for boosting infant male circumcision in the face of rising heterosexual transmission of HIV” . . . and now the case against

David A Forbes, John W Travis, Sarah J Buckley, Paul Mason, Ken McGrath, Robert S Van Howe, George Williams, Anthony N Lyons, Marian Pitts, Anthony Smith, Jeffrey Grierson, Niall Conroy, Gregory J Boyle, George Hill, Robert J L Darby, Bruce R Paix, Jeremy J Chin, David A Cooper, Alex D Wodak and Brian J Morris

Med J Aust 2011; 194 (2): 97.
Published online: 17 January 2011

In September, after a literature review and analysis, the RACP released a revised policy on infant male circumcision, concluding that the frequency of diseases modifiable by circumcision, the level of protection offered by circumcision and the complication rates of circumcision do not warrant routine infant circumcision in Australia and New Zealand. [2] While evidence of HIV prevention by circumcision is strong in high-prevalence settings with predominantly heterosexual transmission, [3] this is not so in low-prevalence environments where homosexual transmission is more important. [4] Evidence of the protective effect of circumcision against other sexually transmitted infections in Australia is limited. [5]
Cooper et al’s comparison of circumcision with vaccines is misleading. Protection against HIV by circumcision is predominantly for males, and the risk for females may increase. [6] There is minimal protection against homosexual acquisition of HIV. [4]
The RACP acknowledges the strong and differing opinions on this topic, ranging from the strong pro-circumcision views of Cooper et al to the equally strong diametrically opposed views of the Royal Dutch Medical Association, which believes that (for reasons of ethics and medical risks) legal prohibition of infant circumcision is warranted. [7]
The RACP recognises the important role of parents in decision making, and recommends that parents contemplating circumcision of their newborn sons be carefully apprised of the risks and benefits. If they elect to proceed with circumcision, the procedure should be undertaken in a safe child-friendly environment, with appropriate analgesia, and by an appropriately trained, competent practitioner who is capable of dealing with complications. We believe that this approach safeguards the social and community interests of children, and offers protection from unnecessary surgical risks. [2]
The RACP does not accept that its policy on circumcision of infant males represents an obstacle to effective public health policy — it believes that, at present, the evidence does not allow a recommendation for widespread infant male circumcision and that Cooper et al have misrepresented this evidence. In the interests of children, and of public health more generally, it is important that this evidence be kept under review and decisions that could lead to increased morbidity and mortality of children only be made when it is clear that the benefits very clearly outweigh any risks.
David A Forbes, Chair, Policy and Advocacy Committee Paediatrics and Child Health Division, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Sydney.
1. Cooper DA, Wodak AD, Morris BJ. The case for boosting infant male circumcision in the face of rising heterosexual transmission of HIV [editorial]. Med J Aust 2010; 193: 318-319.
2. Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Circumcision of infant males. Sydney: RACP, 2010.
3. Siegfried N, Muller M, Deeks JJ, Volmink J. Male circumcision for prevention of heterosexual acquisition of HIV in men. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009; (2): CD003362. 
4. Templeton DJ, Jin F, Mao L, et al. Circumcision and risk of HIV infection in Australian homosexual men. AIDS 2009; 23: 2347-2351. 
5. Templeton DJ, Jin F, Prestage GP, et al. Circumcision and risk of sexually transmissible infections in a community-based cohort of HIV-negative homosexual men in Sydney, Australia. J Infect Dis 2009; 200: 1813-1819. 
6. Wawer MJ, Makumbi F, Kigozi G, et al. Circumcision in HIV-infected men and its effect on HIV transmission to female partners in Rakai, Uganda: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2009; 374: 229-237. 
7. Royal Dutch Medical Association. Non-therapeutic circumcision of male minors. Utrecht: KNMG, 2010. 

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