UNCUTPLUS

AFP Published July 07, 2013

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Botched circumcisions killed 30 young men and landed almost 300 more in hospital during traditional initiation rites in a South African province, the health department said Sunday.

The 30 deaths in rural Eastern Cape province occurred during the annual season when young males undergo a rite of passage into manhood.

Ten other youths were hospitalized after being rescued from a forest on Sunday, said provincial health department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo in a statement.

"The ten initiates' private parts are rotten. They are badly damaged. Their condition is scary," he said.

A further 293 young men were undergoing hospital treatment for dehydration, gangrene and septic wounds, Kupelo added.

Some had lost their genitals.

Teenagers from ethnic Xhosa, Sotho and Ndebele groups typically spend around a month in secluded bush or mountains areas for their initiation to manhood.

This includes a circumcision as well as lessons on masculine courage and discipline.

Traditional surgeons perform the procedure in the bush, sometimes with unsterilised instruments or lacking in technique.

Botched circumcisions leading to penis amputations and deaths are an annual tragedy.

In May around 34 deaths in two other provinces were reported.

The ruling African National Congress said Sunday it was "distressed" over the latest deaths.

It called for basic medical training of the traditional surgeons to render "an entrenched and necessary part of our cultural fabric" safer.

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 14 - Men circumcised either as children or adults report less intense sexual pleasure and orgasm than their uncircumcised counterparts, according to a new study from Belgium.

"We're not saying less sexual activity or satisfaction, but sensitivity," said the study's senior researcher Dr. Piet Hoebeke, from Ghent University Hospital.

The new study surveyed 1,369 men over the age of 18, who responded to leaflets handed out in train stations across Belgium.

The men were asked whether they were circumcised, and were then asked to rate how sensitive their penis was, how intense their orgasms were and whether they experience any pain or numbness when aroused.

Overall, 310 men who took the survey were circumcised, and 1,059 were not. Each rated how sensitive their penis was on a scale from 0 to 5, with higher numbers being the most sensitive.

Overall, uncircumcised men reported between 0.2 points and 0.4 points higher sensitivity and sexual pleasure when their glans was stroked during arousal, compared to circumcised men.

For example, uncircumcised men reported an average sensitivity score of 3.72 when they or their partner stroked the top part of the glans, compared to 3.31 amongst circumcised men.

Uncircumcised men also reported more intense orgasms.

"It's not a very big difference in sensitivity, but it's a significant difference," Dr. Hoebeke said.

Currently, about half of U.S. baby boys have their foreskin surgically removed at birth, and about 30% of men around the world are circumcised.

Some religions, such as Judaism and Islam, consider circumcision part of religious practice, while other people choose circumcision for possible health benefits - including a reduced risk of urinary tract infections (see Reuters Health article of Dec. 7, 2012).

One possible explanation for any potential difference in sensitivity is that a man's foreskin may protect the glans from rubbing against underwear and clothing. It's possible, the researchers write, that friction makes the head of the penis thicker, drier and ultimately less sensitive.

The researchers also found circumcised men were more likely to report more pain and numbness during arousal than uncircumcised men, which Dr. Hoebeke said is likely due to scar tissue.

"I'm amazed that people report pain during sexual pleasure... That's very amazing and that was unexpected," he said.

BJU Int 2013.

Feb 14, 2013 - Reuters Health Information

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