Differences in Adverse Events Related to Voluntary Male Medical Circumcision Between Civilian and Military Health Facilities in Uganda
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Square
Abstract
Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) significantly reduces the risk of acquiring HIV in men. Despite the percentage of circumcised men (15-49 years) in Uganda increasing over time, some populations are not taking up the surgical procedure. The
government of Uganda and implementing partners have responded to this lack of VMMC
coverage among key populations by intensifying introducing innovative strategies that increase
demand particularly among military personnel using the WHO’s MOVE strategy. As a surgical
intervention, it is critical that VMMC services are safe for clients and that adverse events or
complications are minimized. This paper describes the prevalence and trends of adverse events
reported among military mobile camps in comparison to civilian sites in Uganda.
Methods: A prospective study conducted in eighteen (18) public health facilities between
March and August 2019. Of these nine (9) were providing care to civilian populations while
nine (9) served the military population and catchment areas. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square
test and trends analysis were carried out to describe profile of advance events among civilian
and military facilities over the study period.
Results: The highest proportions of VMMC were done among persons aged 15 to 19 years
whereas among military camps the highest proportions of circumcision among males aged 20
to 24 years. Regarding site of circumcision, the highest proportions of VMMC were done at
outreaches, with higher levels in military camps compared to civilian camps. For the
proportions of adverse events reported, higher proportions were reported in civilian camps
compared to military camps (Total – 1.3% vs 0.2%; p- value<0.05). For trends analysis, results
indicate that there was no statistically significant trend for both civilian and military number
of adverse events reported for the four quarters in 2020 (P-value =0.315 for civilian and
P=0.094 for the military).
Conclusions: The MOVE model is great for scaling up VMMC 48 in specialized populations such
as military. Can also be adapted in other populations if contextual bottlenecks are identified
and collectively addressed by key stakeholders – leadership, community engagement and using
a largely horizontal approach offer promising possibilities and outcomes.
Description
Keywords
Voluntary Male Circumcision, Military camps, Civilian, Adverse events
Citation
Obangaber, L. O., Seruwagi, G., Nabaggala, M. S., Lugada, E., Bwayo, D., Nyanzi, A., ... & Kiragga, A. (2021). Differences in Adverse Events Related to Voluntary Male Medical Circumcision Between Civilian and Military Health Facilities in Uganda. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-536381/v1