Can Routine Neonatal Circumcision Help Prevent Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission in the United States?

Primary prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to pose an important challenge in the United States. Recent clinical trials conducted in Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda have demonstrated considerable benefit of male circumcision in reducing HIV seroincidence in males. These results have ignited debate over the appropriateness of implementing routine provision of neonatal circumcision in the United States for HIV prevention. This article discusses major contextual differences between the United States and the three African countries where the clinical trials were conducted, and cautions that the applicability of the scientific data from Africa to this country must be carefully considered before rational policy recommendations regarding routine neonatal circumcision can be made as a strategy to prevent the spread of HIV in the United States.