Millions of Zambian men were circumcised to avoid HIV. But the risky behavior that followed may have exposed partners to two potentially fatal illnesses.
“My husband’s behavior after circumcision was terrible,” says Lisa, fighting back tears. “He believed he could not get infected with HIV. Now I have to deal with HIV and constantly worry about getting cervical cancer.”
About 3 million Zambians were circumcised.
Zambia’s prevalence of cervical cancer is the third-highest in the world after Swaziland and Malawi.
globalpressjournal.com/africa/…ghts-hiv-cervical-cancer/
Yet the Zambia National Public Health Institute has found that some circumcised men are then choosing to have unprotected sex. They are men like Dan Lungu, 57, who was circumcised as a child and became infected with HIV at 27.
“We have a lot of men who think circumcision is 100% protection from HIV and that is the attitude we need to deal with,” he says.
Patrick Mufwema, 52, was circumcised as a teenager and says doctors warned him that the procedure didn’t provide 100% protection against HIV.
But he didn’t believe it. He has now lived with HIV for 15 years.
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