Parents in Embu whose boys are due for circumcision this holiday have been urged to avoid taking them to traditional, unregulated, or bogus surgeons to curb injuries, infections, or even death.
Nursing Manager at Tenri Hospital, Ferdinand Mbabu, said it was of utmost importance to practice safe rites at hospitals where they are guaranteed safe procedures by qualified and experienced medical practitioners.
He said the risks associated with unsafe circumcision were many, including contamination that may lead to infections and excessive bleeding that could easily result in death.
Speaking while overseeing the circumcision of over 300 boys at the hospital, the manager added that circumcision done under unsafe conditions could predispose boys to diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis A, B, and C, tetanus, as well as STIs such as gonorrhoea and syphilis.
“We want our people to be informed of the dangers of male circumcision when it is performed unsafely or by untrained personnel,” he said.
The coordinator of the initiation at the facility, Jacob Njagi, said they not only initiate the young boys into manhood but also with values and life skills that will help them become responsible and useful men in the future.
Towards this, Njagi, who is the Deputy Head Teacher at Tenri Primary School, said they had assembled a team of experts in diverse fields, including psychologists, counsellors, and career guides, to enable them to make the right choices in life.
“Besides nursing the boys, we introduce and take them through other lessons on areas including sexuality, drugs and substance abuse, and career guidance, among others,” he said.
By Samuel Waititu
