HEALTH officials say they are planning a massive circumcision campaign targeting at least 1,2 million men over the next two years in a bid to stem the rise in new HIV infections across the country.

A health ministry official Sinokuthemba Xaba told a meeting in Bulawayo that government is committed to funding the programme with the assistance of partner organisations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“For the programme to reach the intended target we (will ensure that) people are given as much information as possible on male circumcision to enable them to make informed decisions.

“We would also work closely with centres that will provide male circumcision service such as district and provincial hospitals so that the project would be widespread. By the end of April we expect the team tasked with coming up with the cost of the programme to be through as this will help in the planning process,” Xaba said.

A pilot project launched last year said to have been successful with 3000 males, a thousand of them from Bulawayo, having been circumcised.

“When the pilot project was launched we had set a target of circumcising 2 000 males but by December last year 3 000 had gone through (the process) which proves beyond any doubt that it was a huge success,” Dr Getrude Ncube, the national HIV Prevention Coordinator said.

Studies suggest that male circumcision reduces the risk of men contracting HIV during heterosexual intercourse by about 60 percent but health experts warn that this should not replace other more effective prevention methods.

Zimbabwe, one of the countries worst hit by HIV, joined a regional initiative to use voluntary circumcision to help combat the spread of the virus.

The scheme was last year introduced in the army with plans drawn up to roll it out to civilians and new-born babies.