A randomized controlled trial conducted in South Africa has produced no evidence that male circumcision protects against two of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, chlamydia and gonorrhea. However, some protective effect was noted against trichomonas vaginalis (2% vs. 3%), which is relatively uncommon or asymptomatic in males.
“This study demonstrates that male circumcision does not have a protective effect on [chlamydia] acquisition for men”, comment the investigators, adding “no evidence of a protective effect of male circumcision on [gonorrhoea] infection was found.”
However, they note the protective effect of circumcision against trichomonas vaginalis. The investigators suggest that this could be because this infection affects the skin below the foreskin as well as the urethra.
However, despite these results, the investigators inexplicably go on to climb that bandwagon and state counterintuitively that the findings “reinforce the WHO-UNAIDS statement recommending the implementation of male circumcision programs in African countries with a low male circumcision prevalence and high male circumcision acceptability.”
Reference
Sobngwi-Tambekou, J. et al. Male circumcision and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Trichomonas vaginalis: observations in the aftermath of a randomised controlled trial for HIV prevention. Sex Transm Infect (online edition), 2008.
http://www.nam.co.uk/en/news/E364F366-7B70-4A16-A09D-98944B22273C.asp
