A kinder cut

Debate has raged for years over whether circumcision could help men avoid
catching HIV through sex. A team of epidemiologists led by Helen Weiss at the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine pooled data from 27 existing
studies, and say the answer is yes. After allowing for confounding factors,
circumcised men were only half as likely to become infected (AIDS, vol 14, p
2362). The authors say that authorities should consider introducing circumcision
to help fight HIV in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa where infection is
high.