In Kenya 580,000 Circumcised to Curb Aids

More than 583,000 men have been circumcised since 2008, as part of the voluntary medical male circumcision program. The VMMC beneficiaries also received HIV prevention and counseling services in a drive organized by the National Aids/STI Control Program.

The program, which started in 2008, aims to reach 860,000 voluntarily circumcisions by October.

"The response to the program has been remarkable, considering that it is concentrated in communities that traditionally do not circumcise their men," said Dr. Athanasius Ochieng, VMMC national program manager.

Kenya is home to one of the world’s harshest HIV and AIDS epidemics. An estimated 1.6 million people are living with HIV, around 1.1 million children have been orphaned by AIDS, and in 2011 nearly 62,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses.