This week, researchers announced that results from a large study in Africa had determined that men who were circumcised nearly halved their risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The findings were hailed by officials from health organizations around the world who suggested that the age-old practice of circumcision may become one of the newest and most effective weapons in the fight against AIDS in the Third World. Dr. Ron Gray, an epidemiologist from Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, was one of the principal investigators on the study. He talked to NEWSWEEK’s Peg Tyre about the discovery and what it means in the battle against the deadly virus. Excerpts: NEWSWEEK: Tell our readers about the study. Ron Gray: In August of 2003, we launched a randomized trial of 5,000 uninfected Ugandan men between the ages of 15 and 49 who agreed to either receive information about HIV prevention and immediate circumcision, or get the information about HIV prevention and wait two years before receiving circumcision. Two years later, we followed up with them in order to determine the rates of HIV and other infections. An independent analysis of our data showed that the […]