By Dickens Wasonga

A total of 32,000 men got circumcised during the 2011 Rapid Results Initiative for voluntary medical male circumcision between November and December.

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These results, announced last week by the officials undertaking the program in Nyanza now brings the total number of clients reached by the national VMMC programme from October 2008 to December of 2011 to more than 380,000.

The 2011 RRI was the third annual campaign mounted by the government and its partners to expand access to VMMC services and promote their use.

In Nyanza, where the campaign was most extensive, 32,764 men received VMMC services , 80 percent of whom were aged between 15 to 49 years.

“This is an impressive number of clients to reach in such a short time,” said Dr. Jackson Kioko, provincial director of public health and sanitation.

He noted, however, that the goal of the 2011 RRI was to reach 52,000 men in Nyanza and 70,000 men overall.

Heavy rains in November and December made many roads impassable, cutting off key sites for service delivery, Dr. Kioko explained.

“The rains made it difficult—and sometimes impossible—for the teams to take VMMC services to the people and likely discouraged many clients from seeking services,” he said.

The VMMC programme will assess whether other factors contributed to the lower-than-expected service statistics.

One possibility, Dr. Kioko suggested, is that “after serving so many men in such a short time, it is likely that we need new strategies to reach those who have been slower to adopt male circumcision for HIV prevention.”

Among those are men older than 25, who will benefit most immediately from male circumcision for HIV prevention because they are most likely to be sexually active.

Some of the innovative strategies that the VMMC programme has used to reach these men include workplace interventions, weekend VMMC camps, and “moonlight services” offered at night.

Operational research is underway to identify additional strategies to improve access to services and promote uptake of VMMC.

“The results will guide us as we work to extend the reach and impact of VMMC services,” Dr. Kioko said.

The VMMC programme aims to provide VMMC as part of a comprehensive package of HIV prevention services to about 426,500 clients in Nyanza Province by 2013.

The annual RRI campaigns have been instrumental in the progress that has been made so far.

Through the first three campaigns, the VMMC programme reached more than 124,000 men.

Innovations such as the RRI have made Kenya the leader among the countries in sub-Saharan Africa that are working to scale up VMMC services for HIV prevention. In fact, Kenya is considered the only one of these 14 countries that is on track to reach the goal of circumcising 80 percent of uncircumcised men ages 15 to 49 years in five years.

Dr. Kioko urged government officials, implementing partners, health care providers, representatives of the media and community leaders to work together to raise awareness of VMMC.

“Let us continue to support the programme and to educate others about the tremendous benefits of VMMC services,” he said. “Together, we can save many lives.”

The campaign was supported by several U.S. government agencies — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Department of Defense — as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Other partners that collaborated with the ministries of health and the National AIDS Control Council to implement the 2011 RRI in Nyanza included the Nyanza Reproductive Health Society, IMPACT Research and Development Organization, APHIAplus Western and Family AIDS Care and Education Services.

CAPTIONS

Caption 1(2011RRIPRESSBRIEFING014and016): Dr. Jackson Kioko, Nyanza provincial director of public health and sanitation addresses the media at a briefing to release the preliminary results of 2011 Rapid Results Initiative for voluntary medical male circumcision. More than 32,000 men were circumcised over 30 working days in November and December during the 2011 Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) for voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC).

Caption 2 (2011RRIPRESSBRIEFING028): Dr. Charles Okal, provincial AIDS and STI Co-ordinator, Nyanza (fore ground), flanked by George Ogutu Nyawalo, ministry of public health and sanitation and a representative from the National AIDS Control Council listen to proceedings at the briefing.

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RRI3pressrelease.docx

PRESS RELEASE

PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE 2011 RAPID RESULTS INITIATIVE FOR VOLUNTARY MEDICAL MALE CIRCUMCISION.

KISUMU, 18 January – More than 32,000 men were circumcised over 30 working days in November and December during the 2011 Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) for voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC).

These preliminary results, announced at an 18 January briefing in Kisumu, bring the total number of clients reached by the national VMMC programme from October 2008 to December of 2011 to more than 380,000.

The 2011 RRI was the third annual campaign mounted by the government and its partners to expand access to VMMC services and promote their use. In Nyanza, where the campaign was most extensive, 32,764 men received VMMC services in Nyanza, 80 percent of whom were ages 15 to 49.

“This is an impressive number of clients to reach in such a short time,” said Dr. Jackson Kioko, provincial director of public health and sanitation, in a speech at the briefing. He noted, however, that the goal of the 2011 RRI was to reach 52,000 men in Nyanza and 70,000 men overall.

Heavy rains in November and December 2011 made many roads impassable, cutting off key sites for service delivery, Dr. Kioko explained. “The rains made it difficult—and sometimes impossible—for the teams to take VMMC services to the people and likely discouraged many clients from seeking services,” he said.

The VMMC programme will assess whether other factors contributed to the lower-than-expected service statistics. One possibility, Dr. Kioko suggested, is that “after serving so many men in such a short time, it is likely that we need new strategies to reach those who have been slower to adopt male circumcision for HIV prevention.”

Among those are men older than 25, who will benefit most immediately from male circumcision for HIV prevention because they are most likely to be sexually active. Some of the innovative strategies that the VMMC programme has used to reach these men include workplace interventions, weekend VMMC camps, and “moonlight services” offered at night.

Operational research is underway to identify additional strategies to improve access to services and promote uptake of VMMC. “The results will guide us as we work to extend the reach and impact of VMMC services,” Dr. Kioko said.

The VMMC programme aims to provide VMMC as part of a comprehensive package of HIV prevention services to about 426,500 clients in Nyanza Province by 2013.

The annual RRI campaigns have been instrumental in the progress that has been made so far. Through the first three campaigns, the VMMC programme reached more than 124,000 men.

Innovations such as the RRI have made Kenya the leader among the countries in sub-Saharan Africa that are working to scale up VMMC services for HIV prevention. In fact, Kenya is considered the only one of these 14 countries that is on track to reach the goal of circumcising 80 percent of uncircumcised men ages 15 to 49 years in five years.

Dr. Kioko urged government officials, implementing partners, health care providers, representatives of the media and community leaders to work together to raise awareness of VMMC.

“Let us continue to support the programme and to educate others about the tremendous benefits of VMMC services,” he said. “Together, we can save many lives.”

Dr. Kioko also thanked the funders and implementers of the 2011 RRI. The campaign was supported by several U.S. government agencies — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Department of Defense — as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The partners that collaborated with the ministries of health and the National AIDS Control Council to implement the 2011 RRI in Nyanza are the Nyanza Reproductive Health Society, IMPACT Research and Development Organization, APHIAplus Western and Family AIDS Care and Education Services.