Addressing legal and policy barriers to male circumcision for adolescent boys in South Africa.

Adolescent boys: who cares?

doi:10.2471/BLT.08.057752 The paper by Bailey et al.1 in this issue of the Bulletin is the first to systematically investigate adverse events following traditional male circumcision. It highlights the frequency of lingering and permanent sequelae, including sequelae that likely impair sexual functioning. In one of the few other studies that has explored this issue, between 2001 and 2005, the Ea...

Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and Implications for the Provision of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision: Results of a Systematic Literature Review.

BACKGROUND Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is a critical HIV prevention tool. Since 2007, sub-Saharan African countries with the highest prevalence of HIV have been mobilizing resources to make VMMC available. While implementers initially targeted adult men, demand has been highest for boys under age 18. It is important to understand how male adolescents can best be served by quality...

Opinions and Perceptions Regarding Traditional Male Circumcision With Related Deaths and Complications

The notion of manhood values is highly treasured and respected by various cultural groups practicing traditional male circumcision (TMC) in South Africa. This study was conducted at Libode, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The goals of this study were to (a) explore opinions and perceptions related to TMC among boys from 12 to 18 years of age, and (b) determine the actions to be taken to prevent hig...

Male Circumcision Policy, Practices and Services in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Case Study

Pharmacovigilance in India, Uganda and South Africa with Reference to WHO’s Minimum Requirements

Background Pharmacovigilance (PV) data are crucial for ensuring safety and effectiveness of medicines after drugs have been granted marketing approval. This paper describes the PV systems of India, Uganda and South Africa based on literature and Key Informant (KI) interviews and compares them with the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) minimum PV requirements for a Functional National PV Syste...