A new study by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the US has shown that circumcision may reduce the chance of certain infections later in life.

In a study of more than 5,000 uncircumcised adult Ugandan males, researchers found that after circumcision, the rates of infection with the virus that causes herpes went down by 28 percent, and the transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) -- the virus that can cause cervical cancer and genital warts -- was reduced by 35 percent.

In a previous study, the same researchers found that circumcision reduced infection with the HIV virus by 60 percent. Two other research groups -- one working in Kenya and the other in South Africa -- have also had similar findings. [The 60% reduction figure is valid in countries with a predominantly heterosexual epidemic that is generalized/endemic. In countries with much smaller numbers of people living with HIV, it is impossible to assess the effectiveness--Ed]

It looks like the issue of circumcision is going to continue to surface for the foreseable future.