Death due to circumcision? Interest of circumcision campaigns in Africa

Thomas W Djeumi T, Justin Kamga J, Achille Mbassi, Landry W Tchuenkam*, Samuel Esembe, Jules C Tagne, Daniel Shu and Jean-Christian Youmba

Background: Male circumcision involves removing the foreskin that normally covers the glans of the penis. This surgery is one of the oldest and most common surgical procedures performed globally. However, in low income settings, circumcision is trivialized and sometimes done by an untrained traditional medical practitioner in the community. 

Methodology: We organized a campaign in the city of Yaounde, Cameroon in 2019. The health campaign started with a theoretical and practical training of some heath providers in the hospitals. We started the preparative phase with sensitization, clinical evaluation and pre-operative workup of children. 

Results: A number of 55 infants from 3 to 5years old were selected. The coagulation profile in 3 patients revealed abnormalities that were managed successfully. We circumcised all these children using a secure technique conducted by well-trained health providers according to the rules of surgery. Our technique was the Dorsal slits with 4 forceps. No complications were found during the surgeries. We had very little minor complications; a single case of bleeding and a case of infection because of poor hygiene at home which were successfully managed. Our team successfully repaired 3 unexpected cases of home circumcision accidents referred to us, initially done by untrained traditional practitioners.

Conclusion: Circumcision, though a common procedure, can be lethal. Bleeding remains the most frequently encountered complication which can be averted by a pre-operative medical evaluation, a mastery of surgical technique and post-operative care. Adequate training of all persons engaging in circumcision is fundamental in our setting to reduce the risk of these complications.

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Published on: Feb 25, 2020 Pages: 8-11

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/2455-2968.000086
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