The Kenyan government is now officially recommending circumcision as a standard HIV-prevention strategy for men of all ages. Limited studies have shown that African men's chances of contracting HIV are cut in half if they are circumcised. But the risk is that the government's new focus on circumcision will detract from the message that condoms are the only surefire way to protect oneself from the disease. Indeed, taking the focus off condoms is especially dangerous in cultures where condom use remains relatively stigmatized. That's why some American HIV/AIDS advocates were irate last year when New York City announced it would begin encouraging the procedure among men of color, gay men, and in immigrant communities.
--Dana Goldstein
