ircumcision could fight HIV spread, expert says

An Australian physician says circumcising baby boys could be a long-term strategy to fight the spread of HIV-AIDS among heterosexuals.

An article published in The Medical Journal of Australia says many studies show the virus enters men via the foreskin during intercourse.

It says the virus is less common in African communities where many men are circumcised.

Dr Alex Wodak from Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital says he wants the Medicare rebate on circumcision increased and public hospitals allowed to routinely perform circumcisions.

"Shouldn't we also be thinking about that in a country like Australia, where heterosexual transmission of HIV is steadily increasing, as it is in Western Europe and North America?" he said.

"If we're trying to prevent an epidemic in the 2030s, we should start thinking about this in the 2010s.

"At the moment Queensland is the only state or territory that allows the public hospital system to be used for routine infant male circumcision, and that really should change."