There may be a new push for circumcision in Washington, thanks to a review of national guidelines for the procedure. Less than a quarter of all infant boys in Washington are circumcised — one of the lowest rates in the nation. "The evidence is quite convincing that circumcision has significant health benefits in reducing heterosexual transmission of HIV, HPV and herpes," said Matthew Golden, director of the Public Health — Seattle & King County HIV/STD Program. "The older idea that there isn't enough scientific evidence to support circumcision is no longer true." During the past five years, three independent randomized clinical trials on adult heterosexual men in sub-Saharan Africa have all shown the same result: Those who were circumcised were 60 percent less likely to acquire HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus.
