Circumcision and impending risks

Many parents have exposed their children to circumcisions that are not performed well leading to severe bleeding.

"It's a relative who circumcised my children with a razor blade in the village. They were aged 6 years. He made a hole and after circumcising them he applied a traditional product called the "Ndong" on the wounds. It's like chili. There was no alcohol or anesthesia used,” says Charles Gilbert Edou, a parent.

Dieudonné Sounké, another parent, added: "It was during the first week of birth that I circumcised my child at home. In bamiléké tradition, this is how it is done. The child should not grow first before performing the act. With us it is forbidden to go to the hospital for this operation”.

Even though both parents will claim their sons are now ‘men’ after circumcision, there are cases where the removal of the foreskin causes consequences.

Today, experts say when the act is performed in an unhealthy environment, circumcision may produce adverse effects: bleeding and other harmful infection. In addition, it can also happen that "circumcising" improperly can cause unwanted injury or may end up cutting a part of the sex organ by mistake. And sometimes, if a large part of the tip is cut, it can disappear into the skin that protects it and will require surgery to bring out the sex organ.

Complications caused by inappropriate circumcision are numerous but remain secret because the victims suffer in silence. This is the reason why doctors advise parents to seek the help of specialists to work on their offspring.

According to Dr. Basil Yannick Emah Manda, chief physician of the Medical Center at Mendong, there is no specific age to practice circumcision. The best thing is to do it before adolescence or adulthood. He said it heals faster when it is performed at the early stages.

When the individual reaches adolescence or adulthood the healing process can be disturbed by erections. Medically, it is advised that it should be practiced under anesthesia. Moreover, in some countries, the operation is performed under general anesthesia to prevent the male child from feeling the pains.

Although many claim to have been circumcised in Yaoundé at home with no problem, specialists still insist that "this practice is dangerous if the material is multi-used and without anesthesia. With the emergence of communicable diseases by blood such as hepatitis or HIV / AIDS, it is important to use sterile equipment. "To those who want to circumcise their children this holiday season, it is recommended that you approach physicians. This would prevent harm”, they advised.