A study conducted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in Africa has shown that circumcision can reduce the incidence of HIV infection caused by sexual intercourse with women. The study was conducted in Kenya and Uganda. Initially the study concluded that the reduction rate was 50 percent, and subsequent studies indicated a 60 percent reduction rate. The U.S. National Institutes of Health have halted the study because agency officials say the results are clear. Researchers earlier said that HIV infection rates are low in countries where circumcision as an infant and adolescent is already common. That fact alone doesn’t tell us much, so the study sought to confirm the link between circumcision and risk of the disease. How does circumcision reduce its risk? Experts at the National Institutes of Health say no one knows why, but several theories emerge: First, the cells on the surface of the foreskin have a poorer defense against the AIDS virus than other cells. Secondly, the foreskin may be a barrier that prevents the virus from being eliminated. Then there is the fact that the foreskin provides a good environment for the virus to spread. The experts involved in the study hope that circumcision will be one of the basic ways to beat AIDS. But it won’t be easy to persuade men to get circumcised. Experts also warn that although circumcision reduces the risk of contracting the AIDS virus, it does not completely stop its transmission.