Circumcision ring cuts AIDS risk in Africa

[Lil Missy]

Device must be worn for 10 days, but solution is cheap and mostly painless

The most powerful force against AIDS in Africa may be circumcision, a procedure that's easily done in the developed world. But it's a challenge on a continent where there are too few medical workers and a reluctance by men for cultural reasons and fear of pain.

Now there may be a new weapon in the arsenal — a ring-shaped device that is mostly painless and requires less time for health workers.

The Chinese-developed device, the ShangRing, has been tested in a small study in Kenya and a larger test is set for later this year. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will invest about $4 million into studying the device.

The drawback is that men must wear the ShangRing for 10 days, but at least one man who tried it found it surprisingly painless.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35407224/ns/health-aids/