Amy Herman-Roloff

To determine factors associated with the incidence of adverse events associated with voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) for the prevention of HIV infection in Nyanza province, Kenya. Males aged 12 years or older who underwent VMMC between November 2008 and March 2010 in 16 clinics in three districts were followed through passive surveillance to monitor the incidence of adverse events during and after surgery. A subset of clinic participants was randomly selected for active surveillance post-operatively and was monitored for adverse events through a home-based, in-depth interview and a genital exam 28 to 45 days after surgery. Performance indicators were assessed for 167 VMMC providers. The adverse event rate was 0.1% intra-operatively and 2.1% post-operatively among clinic system participants (n = 3705), and 7.5% post-operatively among participants under active surveillance (n = 1449). Agreement between systems was moderate (κ: 0.20; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.09-0.32). Providers who performed more than 100 procedures achieved an adverse event rate of 0.7% and 4.3% in the clinic and active surveillance systems, respectively, and had decreased odds of performing a procedure resulting in an adverse event. With provider experience, the mean duration of the procedure also dropped from 24.0 to 15.5 minutes. Among providers who had performed at least 100 procedures, nurses and clinicians provided equivalent services. To reduce the adverse event rate, one must ensure that providers achieve a desired level of experience before they perform unsupervised procedures. Adverse events observed by the provider as well as those perceived by the client should both be monitored.

Research has established that voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) reduces HIV acquisition in heterosexual men by approximately 60%; however, engaging in sexual activity before the wound is healed may attenuate this protective effect. This prospective study included VMMC clients who were circumcised in Kenya between November, 2008 and March, 2010, aged ≥18 years, and randomly selected for an interview and genital examination 28–45 days post-VMMC (N = 1,344). At the time of the interview, 91.3% participants were healed. Overall, 30.7% reported engaging in early sexual activity, usually 3–4 weeks post-VMMC. In a multivariable analysis, being married or cohabitating was the strongest predictor of engaging in early sexual activity. Strategies to reduce engaging in sexual activity during the recommended 42-day abstinence period following VMMC should be explored including re-energizing the effort to include female partners in counseling, mass education campaigns, and targeted text messaging programs for VMMC clients.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that male circumcision (MC) reduces the incidence of the Type-1 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among heterosexual men by at least half. One year after the launch of a national Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision program in Kenya, this study conducted 12 focus group discussions among uncircumcised men in Nyanza Province to assess the revealed, non-hypothetical, facilitators and barriers to the uptake of MC. The primary barriers to MC uptake included time away from work; culture and religion; possible adverse events; and the post-surgical abstinence period. The primary facilitators of MC uptake included hygiene; social pressure; protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections; and improved sexual performance and satisfaction. Some activities which might increase MC uptake include dispelling MC misconceptions; increasing involvement of religious leaders, women's groups, and peer mobilizers for MC promotion; and increasing the relevance of MC among men who are already practicing an HIV prevention method.