Population Service International (PSI) Mala-wi has urged people in the country to drum support and patronize Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) if the country is to win the fight against high prevalence rates of HIV.
Speaking at a press briefing held in Blan-tyre, VMMC Coordinator and Senior Clinical Officer for Mulanje district, Martin Malunga said PSI Malawi is intensifying and comple-menting efforts to make the services availa-ble in the designated areas and pinpointed the benefits of undergoing the exercise to both men and women.
“VMMC prevents urinary tract infections and tight skin problems. Research indicates that it provides almost 60% protection from HIV infection. In addition to that, circumci-sion helps to maintain enis hygiene and reduces the risk of cervical cancer to their partners”, said Malunga.
Malunga further said PSI provides VMMC services through fixed service delivery facil-ities within Health Care facilities, outreach sites and mobile sites where commodities and stuff members are moved from one site to another especially in rural areas.
On his part, PSI Malawi Communication Ad-visor, Kudakwache Murombedzi, highlighted the role the media can play by civic-educating the public through positive sto-ries about VMMC.
The World Health Organization (WHO) ob-serves that VMMC is a high impact and yet cost effective tool for HIV prevention par-ticularly in settings with high HIV preva-lence and low levels of male Circumcision such as Malawi.
As of March, 2022 PSI Malawi has managed to cir-cumcise around 303,813 men and boys since 2013 in six districts in the southern region of Malawi which in-cludes Phalombe, Mulanje, Chiradzu-ru, Machinga, Mangochi and Blantyre.
