| From: |
Gabriel ADEYEMO [ profile ] |
| Subject: |
Circumcision saved my life------An interesting article for all------
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| Sent: |
May 31st, 2011 - 09:54:49 |
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Source:* Wall Street Journal*
AUTHOR: Diane Cole
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304066504576343492869888506.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
This is the story of how my husband's circumcision saved my life. It's a
personal story, but let it also serve as a public health rebuttal to the
proposed ban on male circumcision that will be on the San Francisco ballot
this November. San Francisco's ballot initiative would prohibit circumcision
on all males under the age of 18. It would allow no religious exemptions,
and it apparently gives no regard to the numerous studies demonstrating that
male circumcision can substantially reduce--by more than 50%--the
transmission of the HIV virus during sex.
Peter, my husband, was born with hemophilia... As a result of one such
clotting factor transfusion prior to 1985, Peter became HIV-positive. Today,
the U.S. blood supply has been cleaned up significantly, reducing the chance
of such transmission to almost nil. But before the risk was known and blood
screening had been introduced, the risk to hemophiliacs was enormous... the
very blood products that had helped save and heal and improve the lives of
so many hemophiliacs also had the power to infect them with AIDS.
As for sex--as they say in Brooklyn, fuggedaboutit. In politer terms,
Peter's hematologists advised us to cease and desist getting pregnant again.
Our mutual, sad assumption in the months that ensued: Not only had our love
not produced a baby, but it may well have doomed me, too. And then our very
own HIV test results--his and hers--arrived. Peter was positive. I was
negative. How had it happened that I never became HIV-positive myself? It
wasn't until recently that we knew: He was circumcised.
Actually, I should say, now I know. Peter died in 1999. But here is the
reason I am alive today: In the same way that circumcision vastly diminishes
the chance of infecting women with the human papillomavirus that causes
cervical cancer, studies suggest that circumcision also helps guard against
the transmission of the HIV virus.
In both cases, cells on the inside of the male foreskin are implicated in
spreading the virus. But if the foreskin is removed, a source of infection
is also removed. So there you have it: My husband's circumcision saved my
life.
Click on the link above to read more.
--
Many Thanks
Yours' in Prevention Science
Gabriel, ADEYEMO
Regional Focal Point - West Africa
Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AID (GYCA)
+234-80-6798-7317 | gabriel (at) gyca.org
www.gyca.org | www.tigweb.org
GYCA is a youth-led global network of more than 5,500 young leaders and
adult allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in over 173 countries world-wide.
GYCA's mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge,
resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions
amongst their peers.
Universal Access is possible; *
*Zero new HIV infections. **Zero discrimination and ***Zero AIDS-related
deaths.***
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