Is voluntary male medical circumcision still cost-effective in the setting of antiretroviral therapy scaleup in sub-Saharan Africa?

Abstract

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) has been part of the combined biomedical HIV prevention intervention strategies since January, 2007, when WHO/UNAIDS recommended it as one of the strategies to reduce HIV acquisition in sub-Saharan Africa.1 Since then WHO estimates that, between 2008 and 2020, more than 26·8 million VMMC procedures have been carried out in 15 priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa.2 However, during the same period, there has been a massive increase to 25·7 million people living with HIV, with 16·3 million on antiretroviral therapy (ART).