Mozambique to circumcise 100,000 men in bid to prevent HIV/Aids

More than 100,000 men in Mozambique are to be circumcised in a bid to help prevent sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/Aids.

The health authorities in the central province of Zambezia said their campaign would focus on the districts of Ato-Molocue, Ile, and Gurue, where circumcision is not a common practice.

This is the second phase of a project that kicked off last year with the circumcision of 84,000 men in the province.

Abdul Razak, a medical doctor and governor of Zambezia - one of Mozambique’s most populated provinces - is backing the campaign.

"Male circumcision and other measures are used to prevent diseases, such as HIV/Aids. They don’t cure the patient," he said.

Male circumcision reduces the risk of heterosexual men getting HIV by approximately 60 per cent, according to WHO.