The Americans are backing a plan to mutilate 152,000 adolescent and adult Swazi men – 80 percent of the total population of this age range.
The plan is an experiment to see whether circumcision can prevent HIV infection spreading.
The Swaziland Ministry of Health has teamed up with the United States Government in what is being called the ‘Male Circumcision (MC) saturation initiative.’
According to the MC Co-ordinator, Ayanda Nqeketo, circumcising at least 80 percent of Swazi males will have a drastic decline on the HIV/AIDS rate in Swaziland.
A ‘drastic decline?’ Where’s the evidence? The only figures publicly available on whether circumcision has any effect on HIV spread in Swaziland shows it probably makes no difference at all.
The Swaziland Demographic and Health Survey (SDHS) of 2007 says the infection rate for circumcised males is 22 percent while for those uncircumcised it is 20 percent. So, on these figures circumcision is LESS likely to prevent HIV spreading – but allowing for statistical error, it is fair to say the figures probably show there is no difference one way or the other.
Circumcision could also be dangerous as there is evidence that men who have the snip do not practice ‘safe sex’ afterwards – some believing they no longer need to wear condoms.
But all of that hasn’t stopped the Americans using Swaziland as a test ground – and to get the data for their research, men in Swaziland must be mutilated.
Nqeketo is reported saying that the effectiveness of the Male Circumcision campaign will be evaluated and results will inform MC programs in 13 other countries in Southern and Eastern Africa.
Let’s just look at that again: the ‘campaign will be evaluated’ – that means they don’t know what the results will be, but the programme is being sold on the ‘fact’ that it will lead to a ‘drastic decline’ in HIV infection.
Nqeketo is reported in the Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, saying that the programme will take a year and will use already existing Swaziland health staff.
‘At full capacity, he said, they anticipate requiring approximately 35 physicians and 245 nurses daily,’ the Times reported him saying.
So not only do we have a mad experiment of mutilation, it will take healthcare staff away from doing proper medical work for Swazi people who are sick.
The Swaziland Government has signed up for circumcision in a big way over the past three years. According to the government just about every male should get the snip and even newly born babies, who have no say in the matter, are expected to be cut.
They have been badly misled by crackpots who for whatever reason have an agenda to spread the lie that it is proven that circumcision will stop HIV.
If you think it is true that circumcision stops HIV ask yourself these questions: Why is it that no ‘first world’ country follows a policy of circumcision to prevent HIV? Why is the experiment taking place on African males and not back in the United States on men over there?
3 comments:
What idiocy. The research results are conclusive that circumcision significantly reduces both infection and transmission. In Islamic and Western cultures where the practice is widespread, the virus isn't. It's stupidity like this that ensures the ongoing self-destruction of Swaziland.
Or you could ask yourself this question: what other country in the world has an HIV prevalence of 26.3%? Well, no other.
There's been an experiment going on eSwatini mfo, and it isn't about circumcision... it's about partner concurrency. Unless the country is ready for dramatic shift in culture and sexual behavior, MC may be the only hope.
But the EVIDENCE in Swaziland is that circumcision doesn't make the slightest difference. That's the tragedy, that we are being misled into believing that is does.
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