The World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified a new collar clamp device for adolescent and adult male circumcision, which provides an alternative to surgical male circumcision.
The Chinese-made device is now considered to be acceptable, in principle, for procurement by United Nations agencies, further enabling the product to be used in parts of the world where HIV transmission rates remain very high, as part of the global response to the HIV epidemic.
“This device is an example of Chinese innovation, and its prequalification by WHO is another example of the increasing role China is taking in global health through its health and medical production capabilities," said Dr Bernhard Schwartländer, WHO Representative in China.
The device is the first Chinese-manufactured device of its kind to be WHO prequalified, and the second such device to be WHO prequalified. The first prequalified device was an elastic collar compression type.
Provided they are properly used, male circumcision devices provide an alternative to conventional surgical circumcision, and in doing so, may make the procedure more acceptable to adolescent boys and men.
Male circumcision devices may be particularly valuable in countries with high HIV transmission rates, such as East and Southern Africa, where male circumcision is being scaled up as an HIV prevention strategy as recommended by WHO in 2007.
Randomized controlled trials conducted in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa have demonstrated that male circumcision, delivered as part of a comprehensive HIV and STI prevention service package, reduces the risk of heterosexually-acquired HIV infection in men by around 60%.
About WHO’s prequalification program for male circumcision devices
WHO’s prequalification program is a systematic process to determine the capacity of a manufacturer to produce a product of consistent quality in accordance with international standards. Once a male circumcision device has been prequalified by WHO, it is included in the WHO list of prequalified male circumcision devices.
Countries and other interested organizations also use the list of prequalified products as a tool for guiding their procurement decisions.
WHO does not endorse any product over others, and prequalification does not imply WHO's endorsement of a product or constitute any endorsement or warranty by WHO of the fitness of any product for a particular purpose, including its safety and/or performance.
About the World Health Organization
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
For more information please contact
Ms WU Linlin
WHO China Office
E-mail: wul@who.int
Office Tel: +86 10 6532 7191