WHO approves Israeli-developed circumcision device

JTA — The World Health Organization approved an Israeli-developed non-surgical circumcision device that could soon be used throughout Africa to help control AIDS.

PrePex, a disposable and easy-to-use device made of rubber bands that obviates the need for anesthesia, stitches or a sterile setting, received WHO approval on Friday, The New York Times reported.

The foreskin dies from a lack of oxygen and either falls off on its own or is easily cut off, according to reports.

PrePex is the only adult circumcision method, besides conventional surgery, to gain WHO acceptance, according to the Times.

The device, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2012 and certified by the European Union for use by adult men, was developed by the Israeli startup company Circ MedTech.

For a heterosexual male, being circumcised lowers the chance of being infected with AIDS by approximately 60 percent, according to the Times report.