Food for thought from Bill Gates http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/food-for-thought-from-bill-gates/ The 92nd Street Y really has a phenomenal philanthropy thing going with its Business of Giving lecture series, led by the Economist’s Matthew Bishop. en-us jberkman@jta.org Copyright 2009 2009-11-12T;23:19:00-05:00 Comment by Ron Low Low99@Juno.com I’m frankly suprised that this story made no mention of the Gates foundation spending 10s of millions of dollars to circumcise Africans.  This is anti-philanthropy and will have a profound toll.  Men are lining up for circumcision thinking it will make them immune to HIV.  Meanwhile in August it was announced that African researchers determined HIV+ men were 50% MORE likely to transmit the virus after circumcision.  Most of the US men who have died of AIDS were circumcised at birth.  80% of US adults are circumcised yet we have an HIV incidence three times as high as Europe’s even though circumcising is rare in Europe.  Several non-circumcising nations have AIDS rates lower than 95%-cut Israel’s.  Clearly partial genital amputations are neither necessary nor sufficient to avoid AIDS.  Gates should be buying condoms, not circumcision tools. I’m frankly suprised that this story made no mention of the Gates foundation spending 10s of millions of dollars to circumcise Africans.  This is anti-philanthropy and will have a profound toll. 

Men are lining up for circumcision thinking it will make them immune to HIV.  Meanwhile in August it was announced that African researchers determined HIV+ men were 50% MORE likely to transmit the virus after circumcision. 

Most of the US men who have died of AIDS were circumcised at birth.  80% of US adults are circumcised yet we have an HIV incidence three times as high as Europe’s even though circumcising is rare in Europe.  Several non-circumcising nations have AIDS rates lower than 95%-cut Israel’s. 

Clearly partial genital amputations are neither necessary nor sufficient to avoid AIDS.  Gates should be buying condoms, not circumcision tools.

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