UNAids is careful in its assessment: "Without question, we absolutely have to ensure that men and women are aware that male circumcision is not a ‘magic bullet’ — it does not provide total protection and it does not mean people can stop taking the safe sex precautions they were already using."

Women’s voices have largely gone unheard in the debate on male circumcision as an HIV-prevention method, but informal discussions with women reveal a range of concerns, preferences and views that researchers and governments would do well to consider before drawing up plans for rolling out a national circumcision programme.

Late into Zambia’s long, dry season, the Victoria Falls are not at their most spectacular. Undeterred, bus loads of tourists still stop here daily to view the torrent. Most are unaware that a scarcity of water in the surrounding area has driven many rural communities to the brink of starvation. Poor rains early in the year saw the total failure of most crops in southern Zambia.