 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released proposed guidance on circumcision that says the surgical procedure would help straight men in the United States reduce their risk of becoming infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. “Male circumcision is one strategy that may help reduce the continued spread of HIV in the U.S.” 
 
 The draft guidance, published Tuesday in the Federal Register, states that all uncircumcised, sexually active straight males and adolescents — as well as parents of newborn males — should be counseled by their doctors on the key risks and benefits of circumcision. The guidelines also emphasize that “male circumcision is a voluntary procedure” and that decisions about circumcision should take “personal, cultural, religious and ethical beliefs” into account. But even as the circumcision rate dropped, more medical evidence came in supporting it — particularly three rigorous and influential studies in Africa that looked at the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in circumcised and uncircumcised men and their partners. In the new guidelines, the CDC says there is now strong evidence that male circumcision can: 
 
 —Cut a man's risk of getting HIV from an infected female partner by 50 to 60 percent. It also reduced the risk of getting genital herpes by up to 45% and of getting cancer-causing strains of human papillomavirus by 30%. Because circumcision can be beneficial to men as well, the CDC says information about the procedure also should be given to sexually active uncircumcised men — especially men considered to be at higher risk of catching HIV, the guidelines say. Studies have not shown that circumcision will reduce an HIV-infected man's chances of spreading the AIDS virus to women. The overall risk of adverse events associated with male circumcision is low, with minor bleeding and inflammation cited as the most common complications, according to a CDC fact sheet. The guidelines say circumcision is safer for newborns and infants than for older males, noting the complication rate rises from 0.5 percent in newborns to 9 percent in children ages 1 to 9, according to the CDC. But "the scientific evidence is clear that the benefits outweigh the risks," added Mermin, who oversees the agency's programs on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. “Although health benefits are not great enough to recommend routine circumcision for all male newborns, the benefits of circumcision are sufficient to justify access to this procedure for families choosing it and to warrant third-party payment for circumcision of male newborns,” the pediatrician group said in a policy statement issued in 2012. From 1979 through 2010, the national rate of newborn circumcision declined 10 percent to 58 percent, according to the CDC. Release of the draft recommendation kicked off a 45-day public comment period, and opponents of the controversial practice vowed to make their voices heard.
– To snip or not to snip? Male circumcision carries "low" risks but has "dramatic" benefits, according to draft guidelines released by the CDC yesterday. The long-awaited guidelines say that the procedure can greatly reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases for heterosexual men, reports Reuters, which notes that circumcision rates have dropped 10% to 58% over the last three decades. Circumcision is a personal decision, and the guidelines will stop short of recommending all newborn boys undergo the procedure, but "the scientific evidence is clear that the benefits outweigh the risks," a CDC spokesman tells the AP. The CDC says that circumcision can reduce the risk of a man getting HIV or herpes from a female partner by around 50%. It also makes sex safer for female partners, although it doesn't appear to reduce the risk of contracting STDs during anal sex with other men. The draft guidelines—which will face stiff opposition from anti-circumcision groups—say the risk of complications from circumcision is only 0.5% for newborns, reports the Los Angeles Times. That rises to 9% among children, then drops to 5% among adults, though the guidelines—which say circumcised men "generally report minimal or no change in sexual satisfaction or function"—note that waiting for a boy to reach adolescence or adulthood lets him choose for himself. (California has banned attempts to ban circumcision.)