The percentage of men who have been circumcised in Uganda has increased over the past 10 years, from 24 percent in 2006 to 46 percent in 2016, the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016 indicates.
According to the survey carried out in 15 regions of Uganda with over 5300 men participate, most men who undergo circumcision opt for health professionals as opposed to traditional practitioners.
The survey indicates the percentage of men who are circumcised is highest in the age group 20-24 (50 percent) and lowest in 40-49 age group. Â Yet young men are more likely to have been circumcised by a health professional than their old counterparts, with 27 percent aged 15-24 clinically circumcised (by a health professional) compared with 13 percent of men aged 40-49.
The survey further reveals that the proportion of men who are circumcised is highest in urban centres than in rural areas, but with men in Bugisu region at 83 percent, more than six times as likely to be circumcised as men in Acholi region at 12 percent.
The men who participated in the survey included Catholics, Anglicans, Seventh Day Adventists, Muslims, Pentecostal and others, with the Muslims showing the highest percentage of being circumcised, distantly followed by Pentecostals and Anglicans.
Globally, male circumcision has been associated with a lower risk of HIV transmission from infected women to men.
