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'''HIV''' is an acronym that stands for ''human immunodeficiency virus''. It also is considered to be an ''initalism''.

HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Persons who are infected with HIV frequently exhibit ''autoimmune deficiency syndrome'', better known by its own acronym ''AIDS''.

HIV was identified in 1981. It is thought to have originated in Africa.

==Attempts to link lack of circumcision to HIV infection==

Despite the known [[Immunological and protective function of the foreskin| immunological functions]] of the [[foreskin]], Certain promoters of male circumcision attempted to link HIV infection to lack of [[circumcision]]. Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were carried out in Africa in an attempt to prove their hypothesis. Boyle & Hill (2011) however studied their reports and found disabling methodological and statistical errors that invalidated their purported findings.<ref name="boyle-hill2011">{{BoyleGJ HillG 2011}}</ref>

Van Howe & Boyle (2018) further elaborated on these findings and suggested possible coordination between the RCTs and hinted at the possibility of fraud.<ref name= "vanhowe2018">{{REFjournal
 |last=Van Howe
 |first=Robert S.
 |init=RS
 |author-link=Robert S. Van Howe
 |last2=Boyle
 |first2=Gregory J.
 |init2=GJ
 |author2-link=Gregory J. Boyle
 |etal=no
 |title=Meta-analysis of HIV-acquisition studies incomplete and unstable 
 |journal=BJU Int
 |location=
 |date=2018-10-31
 |volume=
 |issue=
 |pages=
 |url=https://www.bjuinternational.com/letters/meta-analysis-circumcision-incomplete-unstable/
 |archived=
 |quote=Given the effectiveness of condoms, the lack of consistent findings on national levels, the methodologically flawed RCTs, the lack of translational research, and the impressive potential uptake and effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis, circumcision as an intervention to prevent HIV infection should be treated with greater scepticism.
 |pubmedID=
 |pubmedCID=
 |DOI=
 |accessdate=2021-11-24
}}</ref>

==Population-based studies==

September 2021 saw the publication of two huge population studies on the relationship of circumcision and HIV infection.

Mayan et al. (2021) carried out a massive empirical study of the male population of the province of Ontario, [[Canada]] (569,950 males), of whom 203,588 (35.7%) were circumcised between 1991 and 2017. The study concluded that circumcision status is not related to risk of HIV infection.<ref name="mayan2021">{{REFjournal
 |last=Mayan
 |first=Madhur
 |init=M
 |author-link=
 |last2=Hamilton
 |first2=Robert J.
 |init2=RJ
 |author2-link=
 |last3=Juurlink
 |first3=David N.
 |init3=DN
 |author3-link=
 |last4=Austin
 |first4=Peter C.
 |init4=PC
 |author4-link=
 |last5=Jarvi
 |first5=Keith A.
 |init5=KA
 |author5-link=
 |etal=no
 |title=Circumcision and Risk of HIV Among Males From Ontario, Canada
 |journal=J Urol
 |date=2021-09-23
 |url=https://www.auajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1097/JU.0000000000002234
 |quote=We found that circumcision was not independently associated with the risk of acquiring HIV among men from Ontario, Canada.
 |pubmedID=34551593
 |DOI=10.1097/JU.0000000000002234
 |accessdate=2021-10-02
}}</ref>

[[Morten Frisch]] & Jacob Simonsen (2021) carried out a large scale empirical population study in [[Denmark]] of 855,654 males regarding the alleged value of male circumcision in preventing HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in men. They found that circumcised men have a higher rate of STI and HIV infection overall than intact men.<ref name="frisch2021">{{REFjournal
 |last=Frisch
 |first=Morten
 |init=M
 |author-link=Morten Frisch
 |last2=Simonsen
 |first2=Jacob
 |init2=J
 |author2-link=
 |etal=no
 |title=Non-therapeutic male circumcision in infancy or childhood and risk of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections: national cohort study in Denmark
 |journal=Eur J Epidemiol
 |date=2021-09-26
 |volume=Published online ahead of print
 |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10654-021-00809-6
 |pubmedID=34564796
 |DOI=10.1007/s10654-021-00809-6
 |accessdate=2021-10-20
}}</ref>

No association between circumcision status and risk of HIV infection was found.

{{REF}}

[[Category:Acronym]]
[[Category:Initialism]]