Ugandan government efforts to reduce the spread of HIV, through male circumcision are being hindered by the misconceptions of Christians who think it is aimed at converting them to Islam.
Ugandan government efforts to reduce the spread of HIV, through male circumcision are being hindered by the misconceptions of Christians who think it is aimed at converting them to Islam.
According to the World Health Organisation there is compelling evidence that male circumcision carried out by trained medical professionals reduces the risk of HIV transmission by approximately 60%.
But the fact that circumcision is also a tradition in the Islamic faith, where it is recommended for hygienic purposes, is causing problems for Uganda’s health initiative to tackle HIV.
In Butambala district, some members of the Christian community remain unconvinced of the health benefits of circumcision, seeing it only as an Islamic tradition and therefore incompatible with their own religious beliefs.
Circumcision misconceptions
Levi Kiwanuka, 43, is a catholic who works for Gombe town council. He said: “It serves no purpose for me to be circumcised, when I have buried many Muslims who have succumbed to AIDS. As a catholic there are no biblical teachings that preach about circumcision.”
Lack of education around circumcision and transmission of HIV is fuelling the misconceptions around the government’s health policy and hindering progress in the response to HIV. Although circumcision helps reduce the risk of HIV, it is still vital that condoms are used for full protection.
Vincent Kiwanuka, a farmer in Kalamba sub county, said he had heard several complaints from his colleagues who have been circumcised about the rotting of their penis, due to lack of proper medication, adding that they resorted to use of herbal medicine which cured them.
“There are also stories of men becoming sexually weak after circumcision, which can lead to divorce,” said Kiwanuka. “All this information makes me unwilling to be circumcised.”
Challenging misconceptions through education
Such misconceptions have not helped Butambala district. According to the Uganda Aids Indicator Survey of 2011, Butambala has a high HIV prevalence of 10.4% compared to the national figure of 7.4%, mainly due to the number of uncircumcised men.
Fredrick Bombo, executive director of Kalamba Community Development Organisation, which addresses issues relating to sexual and reproductive health, believes such misconceptions are due to the high levels of illiteracy in Butambala.
Bombo said that high poverty levels have contributed to the high-school drop-out rate in Butambala of 20- 25% and this greatly influences residents’ negative perceptions towards some health policies.
“Although government introduced the free universal primary and secondary education policy, most parents are still reluctant to take their children to school. Therefore people cannot easily and openly embrace the new government policies, but will instead take on rumours as gospel truth,” Bombo said.
“There is need to sensitize church leaders about the importance of circumcision because their followers claim that it is the leaders barring them from embracing it, since it is an attempt to convert them to Islam.”
However the head of Kagulwe Archdeaconry in Butambala, Reverend Canon John Ssekakozi, says followers have their own traditional or cultural beliefs. “Some insist that circumcision is useless, since Muslims also die of AIDS,” he said
Ssekakozi also pledged on behalf of the Christian community leaders to work with the concerned parties to address this issue.
Health officials speak out
The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health Dr Asuman Lukwago said that the ongoing male circumcision programme does not relate to Islam but a health policy based on scientific research, which proved circumcision reduces the chance of getting infected with HIV.
“Circumcision is a practice among the tribes of the Bagishu and the Bakonzo, as well as the Jews but they are not Muslims,” Lukwago said. “This perception is not only in Butambala but is in most of the rural areas where residents think if they are circumcised they are being converted to Islam.”
Lukwago also said the ministry is partnering with Uganda Aids Commission, local government leaders in Butambala and non-governmental organisations to see how this issue can be tackled immediately.
The acting district medical officer for Butambala, who is also the medical superintendent of Gombe Hospital, Dr Haruna Lule said they have embarked on a campaign to educate all residents of Butambala about the advantages of circumcision.
“Those who have been circumcised are being brought on board to give testimonies, while church leaders are also being encouraged to preach about this good health policy during their church sermons,” he said.
Dr Lule also noted that although some men would love to be circumcised, the health facilities offering this service are very far and they are reluctant to trek the long distances.
Read more about HIV prevention and treatment
Image: A young man from Addis-Beza youth group in Ethiopia giving out information on preventing HIV
© Sheikh Rajibul Islam\duckrabbit\International HIV/AIDS Alliance
COMMENTS
Myths, indeed. In print yesterday a Zambian said “My wife is glad I got cut because now I won’t give her HPV.”
This is unfounded. There is NO evidence about HPV transmission TO females after adult circumcision. If he has HPV, she will have it soon enough, and if he doesn’t, the fact that they are monogamous means neither of them has to worry.
Most of the US men who have died of AIDS were circumcised at birth, while some non-circumcising nations have among the lowest HIV rates on earth. Clearly circumcision is neither needed nor enough to thwart AIDS.
” I have buried many Muslims who have succumbed to AIDS.”
This is the bald fact that the proponents of circumcision ignore. Whatever may happen in carefully controlled studies, out in the real world, circumcised men get HIV at the same rate as intact men (a greater rate in 10 out of the 18 countries for which USAID has figures).
But promoting circumcision has been shown to give men a false sense of security. This will make the epidemic worse overall.