A TOTAL of 26,752 men aged 15 years and above have undergone voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) in Shinyanga Region in the first quarter of this financial year through Afya Hatua project.

Tanzania started implementing VMMC as one of the HIV prevention strategies in regards to WHO recommendation in three regions in 2009 as a pilot and then expanded to a total of 17 priority regions, including Shinyanga,” he said.

The three-year project is implemented by Tanzania Health Promotion Support (THPS) in collaboration with Afya Plus, with support from US Centres for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) through US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

It is part of reducing HIV transmission in the Lake Zone region.

Speaking during a two-day media tour organised in the region by the two NGOs on Monday, Shinyanga Regional Medical officer Dr Yudas Ndungile said the project has recorded a number of successes in scaling up and sustaining a comprehensive package of quality, safe VMMC services so as to reach the 90 percent male circumcision in all supported councils.

“In the first quarter of the third year of the project (2023/2024), October to December last year, the project reached 26, 752 males aged 15 years and above, this represents 29 percent of the annual target of 91,022 general target,” he said.

Dr Ndungile, said the minimum comprehensive package for VMMC services offered to clients include health education to better understand the link between VMMC and HIV prevention, HIV testing services, clinical assessment for eligibility of VMMC and referrals for appropriate services such as HIV care and treatment for clients who test HIV positive, pre-exposure prophylaxis or reproductive tract infections and referral for treatment.

Dr Challo Charido, Afya Plus VMMC programme coordinator said since 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) recommended the implementation of VMMC programmes in 15 priority countries in east and southern Africa with low male circumcision rates and high HIV prevalence, including Tanzania.

 “Tanzania started implementing VMMC as one of the HIV prevention strategies in regards to WHO recommendation in three regions in 2009 as a pilot and then expanded to a total of 17 priority regions, including Shinyanga,” he said.

“Journalists, healthcare workers, community leaders, political leaders, religious leaders, home based care personnel, popular opinion leaders, educational institutions workers, traditional healers and traditional leaders carry a responsibility in creating demands upon VMMC,” he said.

Dr Innocent Mbughi, THPS VMMC services programme manager said between January 2022 and December 2023, Afya Hatua project reached 73,927 males aged 15 years and above with VMMC services through 35 supported VMMC clinics and mobile services conducted at 145 health facilities in Shinyanga Region.

VMMC is a safe and quality procedure that offers primary prevention that reduces the risk of heterosexual transmission of HIV from women to men. It is performed by trained healthcare providers in a convenient minor surgical setting. It can be performed through conventional surgical procedures or the use of devices.