Kisumu County above the rest in voluntary medical male circumcision, report shows

KISUMU: Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is transiting into the second phase with Homa Bay County leading in the number of boys and men who underwent the ‘cut’ between 2008 and 2013.

According to a report released yesterday by the Nyanza Inter-County Task Force on Male Circumcision, Homa Bay had 223,435 circumcisions followed by Siaya with 185,120, Migori with 149,415 and Kisumu with 142, 5763.

At the end of the first phase, over 800,000 boys and men were circumcised in the country, and Nyanza recorded an increase from 48.2 per cent to 66 per cent.

“Eighty five per cent out of 1.9 million were found to be HIV positive,” Kisumu County Health Chief Officer Ojwang’ Lusi said.

Over 3,000 service providers, including male circumcision surgeons, surgical assistants, counsellors and infection prevention officers were trained.

About 575 integrated outreach service provision facilities were also renovated and upgraded in Nairobi, Western and Rift Valley regions.

Dr Lusi said they were fewer men over 25 years of age going for the services.

“Another challenge was that very few women were involved,” he said.

The second phase, which was to run from 2014 to 2019, is now targeting 1,000,757 men countrywide.

This is a reflection of 80 per cent of all regions in the country. This time, boys aged between 10 and 14 years are being targeted, unlike before when the target group was aged between 15 and 49. Lusi said they want to factor in young boys because it is important to invest in them before they are sexually active.

“We are also going to introduce early infant male circumcision and increase the focus on programme safety and integration of HIV risk-reduction counselling in traditional circumcision settings,” he said.

Kisumu County AIDS and STI Co-ordinator Charles Okal said the increasing HIV and Aids prevalence should not be tied to circumcision because the virus’s incidence has gone down.

“Some of the most comprehensive programmes like care and treatment are holding on to people who would have been phased out hence the high HIV prevalence.

“We should concentrate on incidence. For example in 2003, Suba District had 41 per cent HIV prevalence rate but currently it is at 27 per cent,” he said.

RAPID RESULTS

For the second phase of VMMC implementation, Kisumu is targeting 188,590, Homa Bay 184,749, Nairobi 175,286, Siaya 148,947, Turkana 139,155, Migori 87,426, Busia 37,721, Kericho 4,219 and Nakuru 4,854 boys and men aged between 10-49 years.

By Novermber 2009, 48,000 men had been circumcised in Nyanza under the initiative.

According to the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) report released in January 2011, about 50,000 men were circumcised in one month in Nyanza.