No Single Prescription For Prevention

January 8, 2007

As new discoveries in HIV prevention are made, including the use of circumcision and microbicides, the U.S. must have maximum flexibility to spend limited resources in the areas of HIV prevention that are most relevant to country demands. New discoveries are made in vain—and at considerable cost—if they cannot be funded and utilized in the countries where they can make the greatest impact.

While the end of 2006 delivered promising new research in the area of male circumcision for HIV prevention, it is in the New Year and beyond where the potential to do great things with this new research will be realized. As reported late last year, male circumcision has been shown to reduce HIV infection rates in males by roughly 50%. While this is a promising development, support for male circumcision programs could be hampered by the abstinence-until-marriage earmark in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

If it is determined that male circumcision should be included in HIV prevention programs—to be used in addition to other evidence-based prevention efforts—it has the potential to make a huge impact in places like sub-Saharan Africa where there is both high HIV prevalence and low male circumcision rates. However, PEPFAR support for this new prevention method would compete with limited prevention funding due to required spending for abstinence-until-marriage programs.

As 2007 gets underway, PAI urges the U.S. to overturn the abstinence-until-marriage earmark in PEPFAR and allow countries to develop HIV prevention programs that take full advantage of scientific discoveries that offer the most potential to save lives.

Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.