My dear friend Nyanja,

I think we are making a small debate be bigger than what is should be. If you critically read through your writing, the contradictions are glaring. The simple mistake we are all making is that of trying to mix medical issues with cultural issues. You cannot argue convincingly and using statistics that so many circumcised men did not contract HIV/AIDS compared with so many uncircumcised men who got infected and make a conclusion about the transmission of HIV?AIDS. In experimental sciences there are normally treatments and a control in any experiment that we use to discuss and interpret the results. In more refined science processes are used to explain findings to supplement the statistics. Those arguing thus should go a step further using process science to explain their results. When we have a very complete picture and understanding of the process then we draw convincing conclusions and carry the masses in the process.

We know from common and circulating knowledge that HIV/AIDS is transmitted through blending of clean body fluids with infected body fluids in specific habitats that are conducive to the survival of the HIV Virus. Moreover the HIV Virus barely lives for 30 seconds outside a body habitat. If the circumcised man without the use of condom stays in contact inside an infected woman’s body for more than thirty seconds, he suffers the same risk like the uncircumcised man of contracting HIV/AIDS. This likewise happens to an infected man staying in contact with healthy woman for a similar duration. We have further learnt that there are individual gene attributes that make some people be of less risk than others, and so forth. What I am saying is that the science must be right before we use it to make recommendations.

In Medical Science and I am not a Medic, before recommending any treatment or using any drug in a prescription, there are a minimum number of iterations that your drug or treatment must undergo for verification and before being accepted as a prescription drug or way of treatment.

What I am saying is that we should not mix culture with medicine. Cultural changes are caused by societal pressures, experiences, individual or communal expectations, aspirations and general benefits that the new status creates for the individual or the community. Each individual in such a circumstance makes a choice based on the glaring facts surrounding him or her. For example, our parents had the choice of sending us to school or leaving us to stay at home education. The wiser ones chose to educate their children to enable them participate in a modern world.

In conclusion, I don’t think we have reached a good scientific stage to make some statements about who is at higher risk or lower risk just based on circumcision. I still believe that as a precaution, we should bring to a bare minimum (Zero) our sexual misadventures and if we must do it then it has to be through protected sex. Let the Biological Scientists give us a prescription or an immunity strategy since this is what will make the Human Race survive HIV/AIDS.

I rest my case.

Peter Okoth

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Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:36:53 +0300
From: “Okoth, Peter \\(CIAT-Nairobi TSBF\\)”
Subject: RE: Press Release – The Misleading Call for Circumcision!
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http://blog.jaluo.com/?p=1379
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:43:45 +0000
From: nyanja@ . . .
Subject: Re: Press Release – The Misleading Call for Circumcision!