By Rodney Muhumuza, Hussein Bogere & Agencies
The Monitor (Kampala)
22 August 2007
WASHING the penis minutes after sex increases the risk of acquiring HIV in
uncircumcised men, The New York Times reported yesterday.
The paper made reference to the presentation of a Ugandan researcher who delivered his surprising findings at the International Aids Society Conference in Sydney, Australia.
Delaying washing for at least 10 minutes after sex significantly lowered the risk of HIV infection, Dr Fredrick E. Makumbi reportedly said on July 25. The sooner the washing, the greater the risk of becoming infected, he reportedly said.
But Dr Makumbi, a staff researcher with the Rakai-based Health Sciences Programme, told Daily Monitor yesterday that in the context of the study, the word 'cleaning' had been preferred to 'washing'.
"People who cleaned had a slightly increased risk of acquiring HIV," he said. "Those who cleaned seemed to be at a disadvantage."
The researchers found that men who washed within three minutes after sex had a 2.3 per cent risk of HIV infection, compared with a 0.4 per cent risk among men who delayed washing for 10 minutes or more.
According to the Times, the washing analysis was the secondary part of a study undertaken to determine the effectiveness of male circumcision as an HIV prevention method.
The study, a collaboration between Ugandan and American researchers, found that circumcision significantly reduced the risk of acquiring HIV among men.
Researchers examined 2,552 uncircumcised, HIV-negative men in Rakai, all of them aged between 14 and 30.
Dr Makumbi said yesterday that his findings, as presented in Sydney, are not conclusive because several questions are yet to be answered.
Describing the findings as 'abstract', Dr Makumbi said he would be working closely with the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe before publishing a report.
"We don't know what is used for cleaning: all we know is that those who cleaned were disadvantaged," he said. "We need to go back to ask, 'what was used for washing' and 'how often do you wash'."
Dr Makumbi, who regretted not having details of his study when Daily Monitor contacted him on phone, said it was based on the hypothesis that cleaning, or washing, could potentially help in reducing the risk of acquiring the virus that causes Aids.
Although his findings now contradict that hypothesis, Dr Makumbi said, it was still early to draw a reliable conclusion. "Nobody can be advised not to wash," he said. "It would be dangerous to make such a conclusion."
According to the Times, Dr Makumbi and his colleagues said they do not know why washing might increase vulnerability to HIV, although they offered some explanations.
One is that delaying washing and prolonging exposure to vaginal secretions might reduce viral infectivity. Another explanation is that the acidity of vaginal secretions might impair the ability of HIV to survive on the penis.
Ministry of Health officials said yesterday they were not aware of Dr Makumbi's study or its claims.
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