New Delhi, Jan. 1: A task force of the Indian Council of Medical Research has proposed a study to determine levels of community comfort with male circumcision, a possible method to prevent the spread of HIV.

Keeping in view possible impacts that culture and religion might have on attitudes to male circumcision, the task force has suggested a multi-site study to understand community perceptions about the practice.

Clinical trials in Africa have shown that circumcision of male adults can reduce the risk of picking up HIV during heterosexual activity by 60 per cent. The protective effect was so strong that a data safety monitoring board stopped the studies and recommended that circumcision should be offered as an option to all participants of the trials.

ICMR officials said the task force was set up to identify priority areas for research in the field of male circumcision relevant to India.

“We have virtually no data about current practices, facilities available, or the rate of complications in male circumcision in India,” said Nomita Chandiok, the deputy director-general of the ICMR.

“Community perceptions are crucial in determining acceptability. But all we know about male circumcision in India is based on hearsay and assumptions. We need studies to understand the ground situation,” she said.

How exactly circumcision protects against HIV infection is still unclear, but scientists believe that the male foreskin contains a concentration of cells that serve as gateways for the virus to enter the human body in the earliest stages of HIV infection.

Previous research studies have shown that circumcision lowers rates of urinary tract infections in infants and also lowers the prevalence of genital ulcer diseases which are a risk factor for picking up HIV.

A global consultation by the World Health Organisation and the UNAIDS earlier this year had said that for countries such as India, where HIV is largely concentrated in specific population groups, there would be little public health benefit in promoting male circumcision in the general population.

“This is a sensitive issue. Individuals at high risk of HIV may benefit from it, but only a study on community perceptions will help us determine whether it would be acceptable as a preventive method here,” a community medicine specialist said.