Adopting a national circumcision policy to lower risks of HIV infection may be considered by decision makers of South Africa, a country hardest hit by AIDS epidemic, a South African newspaper reported on Friday.

Francois Venter, president of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society, has called on South Africa's health department to speed up its work on a national circumcision policy, said Business Day.

Two new African studies released this week showed men who underwent the procedure were 50 percent less likely to get HIV from heterosexual sex than men who did not.

"If we had a vaccine this effective, we'd roll it out tomorrow, "Venter said.

South Africa has one of the world's worst HIV epidemics, with more than 5.5 million people infected. With no effective vaccine or cure in sight, many scientists think circumcision can play an important role in slowing the spread of new infections.

A large-scale study in South Africa last year had provided direct evidence that circumcision cut the risk of HIV infection by 60 percent. Now two U.S. government-sponsored trials, in Kenya and Uganda, have added weight to this study.

The findings could increase pressure on the health department to use this information in HIV-prevention campaigns and consider providing safe circumcision services, said the newspaper.

Circumcision is traditionally performed among most indigenous groups in South Africa and by Jewish and Muslim communities, but it is less common in other ethnic groups.

But health officials in South Africa said a national AIDS policy should be a comprehensive one and could not be based on a single study.

The new research needs to be studied and relevant stakeholders need to be consulted before a national position is developed, said Nomonde Xundu, health department head of HIV/AIDS.

Source: Xinhua