siuDE.com

The simple process of circumcision could cut down the spread of AIDS drastically in the home of most of its victims, an AIDS prevention advocate argued Tuesday.

Inon Schenker, the director of international affairs for the Jerusalem AIDS Project, said circumcision could prevent the virus by as much as 60 percent with heterosexual couples in Africa, a continent that has been debilitated by the virus.

Established in 1988, the organization has worked to promote AIDS awareness in Africa and promote the practice of circumcision among the Africans, particularly in Swaziland, where one in every two Africans is infected with HIV or AIDS from a population of one million, Schenker said.

He said an uncircumcised penis contains millions of Langerhans' cells within the foreskin. The cells easily capture the virus from the vagina and store it before it travels to the male's bloodstream. Portions of Africa where circumcision is low have far higher percentages of people with AIDS, he said.

"Africa is very, very poor," Schenker said. "When in poverty, you have less nutrition and a greater chance of disease."

Schenker said a gender imbalance exists in Africa, where females are often left without a choice on sexual intercourse. Some women, he said, are beaten or killed if they refuse any man.

Israel, he said, has the strongest economy in the Middle East and the finest doctors. Israel is the only country in the world that has experience with thousands of adult circumcisions.

In 2007, Operation AB was launched in Israel. The project assists in transferring medical equipment and doctors to instruct the Africans on how to perform circumcisions, Schenker said.

He said sometimes people wait in line for 10 days for the circumcision.

"When you save a life, you save the entire world," Schenker said. "We Israelis are different: We can't shut our eyes to the world. These are values we share with Americans."

Being placed near Africa, Europe and the Middle East gives Israel the opportunity to deploy doctors and humanitarian workers to those in need. Even those who traditionally dislike the Israelis, such as the Iraqis, are often flown in to Israel for complicated medical procedures their mother country lacks, Schenker said.

Hospitals in Africa, he said, often resemble hotels in their crowdedness. Patients often sleep two to a bed, and if beds are unavailable, they sleep on the floors.

Americans can do more to help assist other countries troubled with widespread HIV and AIDS, said Carl Ervin, coordinator of Student Development-Multicultural Programs and Services at SIUC.

Ervin, who helped bring Schenker to campus, said he was shocked at some of the information shared during the speech.

"I was surprised by the number of people with AIDS in Swaziland," Ervin said. "That is frightening and sad."

Schenker said treatment for AIDS is readily available and many people infected live long, healthy lives.

"In following the Jewish faith, we are ordered to do good in the world," Schenker said. "When we do good to other countries, it does good to us."

Tim McGovern can be reached 536-3311 ext. 254 or tmcgov@siu.edu.

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