More than 100,000 men in Mozambique will be circumcised to help stop the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDS.
Efforts will be focused in the districts of Ato-Molocue, Ile, and Gurue, where circumcision is uncommon, according to health authorities from the central province of Zambezia.
This is the second stage of a campaign that involved the circumcision of 84,000 men in Zambezia, one of the most populated regions of Mozambique, last year.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), male circumcision reduces the risk of straight men getting HIV by up to 60 per cent.
The delicate foreskin easily tears and is therefore highly vulnerable to HIV infection. It is the main route the virus enters a man's body during intercourse.
Circumcision prevents, not cures, HIV
Zambezia's governor Dr Abdul Razak, who is backing the campaign, told : 'Male circumcision and other measures are used to prevent diseases, such as HIV/Aids.
'They don't cure the patient.'
This comes after health officials revealed last November Europe's HIV epidemic is growing at an 'alarming pace' as infection rates reached their highest level in 2016 since records began.
Last year, around 160,000 people contracted HIV, which causes AIDS, in 53 European countries, according to a report by the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
HOW DOES MALE CIRCUMCISION PREVENT THE SPREAD OF HIV?
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin, which is highly vulnerable to HIV infection.
This is due to the foreskin being delicate and therefore tearing easily during sex, which allows the virus to enter the body.
Tears also cause inflammation, which can further increase the risk of HIV transmission.
There is also a higher concentration of cells, known as Langerhans, in the foreskin, which is what HIV tends to infect.
HIV-infected fluids can also become trapped under the foreskin and remain there after intercourse.
The World Health Organization recommends voluntary adult male circumcision as a method to prevent HIV transmission in places where its prevalence is more than 15 per cent.
Male circumcision reduces heterosexual men's risk of HIV by up to 60 per cent but does not protect women or homosexual males.
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin, which is highly vulnerable to HIV infection.
This is due to the foreskin being delicate and therefore tearing easily during sex, which allows the virus to enter the body.
Tears also cause inflammation, which can further increase the risk of HIV transmission.
There is also a higher concentration of cells, known as Langerhans, in the foreskin, which is what HIV tends to infect.
HIV-infected fluids can also become trapped under the foreskin and remain there after intercourse.
The World Health Organization recommends voluntary adult male circumcision as a method to prevent HIV transmission in places where its prevalence is more than 15 per cent.
Male circumcision reduces heterosexual men's risk of HIV by up to 60 per cent but does not protect women or homosexual males.
-Dailymail