Dear Ms. Thompson

Recent studies claim that circumcision helps prevent HIV. A new Dutch study in March casts serious doubt on the wisdom of promoting male circumcision to prevent HIV infection, not only because of the risk of increasing HIV in women, but also because circumcision removes a natural HIV-1 barrier from men.

Langerin

"Langerin is a natural barrier to HIV-1 transmission by Langerhans cells" (Nature Medicine, March 4, 2007). This study states, "Langerhans cells (LCs) specifically express langerin ... LCs reside in the epidermis of the skin and in most mucosal epithelia, such as the ectocervix, vagina and foreskin." Removal of the foreskin (male circumcision) removes the Langerhans cells that express langerin, the natural barrier to HIV-1 transmission. A new penile touch test sensitivity study published in the April 2007 issue of BJU International found that circumcised men are significantly less sensitive to fine touch than are non-circumcised men. For those who advocate condom usage, they need to be aware that circumcised men might be less likely to use condoms because of reduced penile sensitivity.

It is ill advised for circumcision to be championed for large numbers of men when 98.15 per cent of the men in the African studies' control group who were not circumcised did not contract HIV after 24 months. Circumcision did nothing to protect the 22 men who acquired HIV in the Rakai, Uganda study. One has to question if incidences of condom failures were factored into the African study findings - condoms that broke, slipped off, or leaked over the rim and which could have been the causes of HIV acquisition.

In 1993, the University of Texas analysed 11 different studies that tracked the effectiveness of condoms to prevent transmission of the AIDS virus. The average condom failure rate in the 11 studies for preventing transmission of the AIDS virus was 31 per cent. (Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 36, 1993.)

An intact (not circumcised) male who does not engage in risky sexual behaviour is far less likely to acquire HIV/AIDS than a circumcised male who engages in risky sexual behaviour. Behavior is the key component in preventing HIV, not circumcision.

Petrina Fadel,

Director

Catholics Against Circumcision

http://www.catholicsagainstcircumcision.org

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