Benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks, US CDC says

The guidelines don’t outright call for circumcision of all male new borns since that it’s a personal decision that may involve religious or cultural preferences, Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV Aids, STD and TB Prevention said the Associated Press. He even said that the scientific evidence is clear that the benefits outweigh the risks.

What is Circumcision ?

Circumcision involves the surgical removal or cutting away the foreskin around the tip of the penis. Germs can originate underneath the foreskin, creating issues of hygiene and according to CDC officials circumcision procedure reduces male’s risk of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV infection risk , penile cancer and even urinary tract infections.

The thinking on circumcision has swung wildly over the years. Jews and Muslims are practising for thousands of years but in US didn’t become common until 20th century. By estimate, only 25 percent of US male newborns were circumcised in 1900. It gradually became cultural norm and in the 1950 and 1960s surpassed 80 percent. But then trend is reversed. Part of it had to do with changing demographics as US population grew to include larger number of Mexican-American and other ethnic groups that didn’t traditionally circumcise their children.

Also many advocates would oppose the circumcision procedure, who decried the pain, bleeding and risk of infections to infants. Their message was aided with the help of internet and the neutral stance of physicians groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). According to CDC estimate by 2010 the newborn circumcision rate was down to about 8 percent.

But even as circumcision rate dropped, more medical evidence come in support of it as per CDC. Benefits of Male Circumcision

In the new guidelines released by CDC says that there is strong evidence that male circumcision can:

• Reduce man’s risk of getting HIV virus from an infected female partner by 50 percent to 60 percent
• Even the procedure also reduce risk of contracting herpes and human papilloma virus by 30 percent
• Reduces the odds of urinary tract infections during infancy and penil cancer in adulthood

But studies haven’t shown that circumcision will decrease an HIV infected man’s chances of spreading Aids virus to women. And even research doesn’t show that circumcision would help in stopping HIV spread during gay sex.

According to the CDC guidelines, circumcision is safer for newborns, infants than older males noting the complication rate increases from 0.5 percent in newborns to 9 percent in children ages 1 to 9. The most common problem experts say are minor bleeding and pain.

CDC officials recommend doctors to tell parents of baby boys of benefits and risks of circumcision.