Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - August 21, 2009
Joe Nam
Matovu has become a celebrity in Kayunga district. This is because of his sharp knife that he uses to cut off the foreskin of men's penises.
Since February this year, Matovu has circumcised over 300 men. "We have an average of 14 men coming to be cut daily," Matovu says with a grin on his face. "The majority are men in their prime years, but the number of teenagers is also increasing."
When a crowd gathered recently to witness the newly renovated surgery house at Kayunga Hospital, where Matovu conducts his business, praises were showered on him and his staff.
The Uganda AIDS Commission head, Dr. Zainab Akol, said: "You are an example to the country. Soon we shall bring other medics to learn from here." The surgery had been improved, courtesy of an American agency.
Matovu's clients, too, are proud of the initiative. A 16-year-old secondary school student was relieved after the circumcision: "I wanted to be clean and free from disease, now I do not have to worry about the white stuff." He said he overcame the fear of circumcision when his peers said they did not feel pain. The pain is eliminated through anesthetic injections before the circumcision.
After the initial success of pushing down the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Uganda, government official figures now show that the epidemic's prevalence has stagnated at 5.4%.
But the fight has even intensified with one of the emphasised counter measures being male circumcision.
The funding has also increased. In July last year, the US Congressional Bill against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria finally became a law, authorising the release of $48b (about sh9,600b) to combat the three killer diseases till 2013. Uganda got $283m (about sh570b) of that money last year.
Fascination with male circumcision arises from reports that it reduces the rate of infection of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases by up to 60%.
The parched and dry penis head is more capable to withstand bacterial and viral attacks than in it's wet and slimy uncircumcised state, according to health practitioners.
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