American scientists from Johns Hopkins University have found a new medical benefit of circumcision : in addition to protecting men from the AIDS virus, it reduces the infection of their female partners with the human papillomavirus (HPV) , which among other things causes cancer cervical, according to the medical journal The Lancet .
"Our findings indicate that male circumcision should now be accepted as an effective intervention to reduce the prevalence and incidence of HPV infections in female partners," say Dr. Maria Wawer and her colleagues. However, experts warn that "protection is only partial; promoting safe sexual practices is also important."
In an investigation with more than 1,000 women, scientists found that, after two years, 27.8% of stable partners of circumcised men had HPV infections, compared with 38.7% of couples of uncircumcised men . This means that female partners of circumcised men had a 28% lower rate of infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV).
HPV infection is best known as the leading cause of cervical or cervical cancer, which is expected to cause 328,000 deaths this year, primarily in developing countries. But it also causes genital warts and can lead to the development of cancer of the anus, penis, head and neck.
