Friday 20 September 2013

Us hails zambias national circumcision programme

By SITEMBILE SIWAWA

THE American government is pleased with the progress made by the Zambian government towards the scaling-up of national male circumcision (MC) programmes.

Presidential Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) deputy country coordinator Elizabeth Brennan said her government is optimistic given the Zambian government's support of the MC programme including its 2013 budget for service delivery.

Ms Brennan said in her response to a press query that the engagement of influential traditional chiefs has scaled up the huge response the MC drive has received.

She said even some members of Parliament have been involved in championing male circumcision.

"Some honourable members of Parliament have continued championing voluntary male circumcision by having themselves circumcised", she said.

Ms Brennan said to date; the US government has given Zambia over US$22 million on male circumcision activities.

She said the money spent so far includes a tripling of funding between 2011 and 2012 in order to support the Zambian government's ambitious target of 1.9 million HIV-negative Zambian men by 2015.

She has since urged the government to accelerate the provision and demand of voluntary medical male circumcision services in order to have impact to control the HIV epidemic.

Recently, government announced that so far over 300,000 males have been circumcised and further intends to circumcise 80 percent of all HIV negative uncircumcised adult males aged 15 to 49 years.

This will be done to avert close to 340,000 new infections by the year 2025.

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