Prevalence and associated risk factors of HIV amongst circumcised and uncircumcised males in the Yagoua community in the far north Region of Cameroon

This study aimed to compare the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among 500 sexually active circumcised and uncircumcised males aged 21 to 70 in the Yagoua community, Far North Region of Cameroon. Utilizing a cross-sectional analytic design, participants were tested for HIV using Alere determine test strips, and data were analyzed with SPSS software. The results indicated that 29 out of 1000 males (2.9%) tested positive for HIV, with a significantly higher prevalence in uncircumcised participants (21 cases, 4.2%) compared to circumcised individuals (8 cases, 1.6%), yielding a calculated p-value of 0.006. Notably, 80.5% of participants engaged in sexual risk behaviors, with 97% of HIV-positive cases exhibiting such behaviors. The study found no significant difference in HIV prevalence between those circumcised before or after the onset of sexual activity (p-value = 0.212). A majority of circumcised participants cited traditional reasons for the procedure, and knowledge about circumcision's benefits was average or above in only 37.2% of the sample. The findings underscore the need for increased awareness and education on circumcision's protective benefits against HIV, alongside promoting safe sexual practices through targeted intervention programs. Key words: Circumcision, prevalence, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).