SOUTH AFRICA: Zulu men take part in circumcision drive as part of a HIV prevention campaign

Record ID: 454740

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: Zulu men take part in circumcision drive as part of a HIV prevention campaign
  • Date: 20th April 2011
  • Summary: KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL VARIOUS OF PATIENTS LISTENING TO DOCTOR VARIOUS OF NTOBEKO WITH NURSE (SOUNDBITE) (Zulu) NTOBEKO NZIMANDE, PATIENT SAYING: "It is important for me to get circumcised because at home they encouraged me to come here and get circumcised, it also shows a level of self appreciation. But you do not just get circumcised, there are stages that you have to go through before getting circumcised." SIGN READING, "CIRCUMCISION, KEEP DOOR CLOSED" VARIOUS OF NTOBEKO BEING CIRCUMCISED (SOUNDBITE) (Zulu) JOSHUA KHUMALO, PATIENT SAYING: "It's important to get circumcised so that men can reduce their chances of getting STI's (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and other diseases when they sleep with women". VARIOUS OF NURSE TILLY MAZIBUKO TALKING TO PATIENTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) TILLY MAZIBUKO, NURSE SAYING: "I am very well equipped, what I have been taught here is what I am going to teach the other peers, the other staff at McCord (hospital) and I am willing and I am capable of doing it because what I been taught here, really I won't even forget even a single thing." DOCTORS AND NURSES BEING BRIEFED (SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. SIBONGISENI DLOMO, MINISTRY OF HEALTH SAYING: "Partners who are supporting our programs on medical male circumcision, one of them is an Operation Abraham, where there are certain doctors who are experienced and come from other countries including local doctors and doctors coming from Israel who have come in to support us from Israel, it has assisted us in learning a faster method of doing circumcision, so there are certain South African nurses and doctors who have been trained on that program." NTOBEKO AND OTHER PATIENTS SEATED IN RECOVERY ROOM
  • Embargoed: 5th May 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa, South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Health
  • Reuters ID: LVA572OY8TZVGPLGARJ596FB59Q4
  • Story Text: Zulu men are being encouraged to get circumcised as part of a HIV prevention campaign in South Africa, an initiative of the Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini.
    Men from South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province have been trooping to local clinics to get circumcised.
    While it is normally a traditional right-of-passage for many African communities, for the Zulu, the procedure has not been done since it was abolished by King Shaka in the 1800's, apparently because he could not afford to let his warriors take time off for the ritual.
    Now it is being done not as a cultural practice but for health reasons. Studies found that the risk of contracting HIV in circumcised men reduced by some 50 percent -- and with HIV/AIDS prevalence rate rising in the province, King Zwelithini, the current Zulu monarch reintroduced it.
    At St. Mary's hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, men have been persuaded to undergo the procedure through an on-going campaign launched last April by King Zwelithini.
    He invited more than 18,000 men who underwent the procedure late last year to form a special task force to fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS.
    There are an estimated 5.5 million South Africans living with HIV/AIDS and medical researchers say KwaZulu-Natal province has the highest number.
    38-year-old Ntobeko Nzimande is convinced that he should be circumcised for his own protection.
    "It is important for me to get circumcised because at home they encouraged me to come here and get circumcised, it also shows a level of self appreciation. But you do not just get circumcised, there are stages that you have to go through before getting circumcised," said Nzimande.
    But health care providers are warning that men and women should understand that the procedure does not provide complete protection against HIV infection, and instead, people should be encouraged to change their way of life and keep one sexual partner.
    Some patients still believe circumcision will keep them completely protected from infection.
    "It's important to get circumcised so that men can reduce their chances of getting STI's (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and other diseases when they sleep with women," said Joshua Khumalo, a patient at St. Mary's hospital.
    The campaign named Shesha, meaning rapid or fast-moving in Zulu language, doubles up as a teaching course for local medical teams to enable them perform more circumcisions on adults.
    Tilly Mazibuko, a nurse training at St. Mary's hospital underwent the training.
    "I am very well equipped, what I have been taught here is what I am going to teach the other peers, the other staff at McCord (hospital) and I am willing and I am capable of doing it because what I been taught here, really I won't even forget even a single thing," she said.
    The training program was designed by the Operation Abraham Collaborative (OAC), which is a group of international experts based in Israel, who advise the United Nations, public and private sector organizations on male circumcision.
    Two teams of five doctors and 12 nurses were trained to perform over 50 adult male circumcisions per day.
    "Partners who are supporting our programs on medical male circumcision, one of them is an Operation Abraham, where there are certain doctors who are experienced and come from other countries including local doctors and doctors coming from Israel who have come in to support us from Israel, it has assisted us in learning a faster method of doing circumcision, so there are certain South African nurses and doctors who have been trained on that program," said Dr. Sibongiseni Dlomo, from the Ministry of Health.
    Shesha campaign is targeting to circumcise close to 300 men -- between the ages of 15 and 49, per day.
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