Circumcision Gadget Is Easier and Safer, but Does It Hurt?

It has been shown that heterosexual men are significantly less likely to spread HIV when they are circumcised. Rwanda hopes to circumcise 2 million men across the spectrum of ages using a new device that promises to be cheaper, safer and easier than alternatives.

Unfortunately, the BBC makes you wait until the very end of its wince-inducing report to find out whether the procedure is painful. Apparently, it isn’t. Judging by the reaction of the men in the video, the most painful part of the procedure may be when the nurse measures her patient to determine what size to use.

The device itself is simple-looking. It is made of two separate rings, one of which has a kind of elastic band around it. Together they close off blood flow to the foreskin, which, a week later, is ready to be cut off with a pair of scissors.

You’ll have to head over to the BBC to see for yourself. — PZS