Health Ministry identified new HIV/AIDS super spreader
MBABANE - The Ministry of Health has identified a new HIV/AIDS super spreader among men.
The super spreader is said to be common in Mbabane and over 35 people have been treated with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) arising from it so far.
This information was shared by the Ministry of Health’s Key Population Department. The Head nurse, Khanyisile Lukhele, said the super spreader was concerning. The super spreader is said to be common among men and in the streets it is called ‘fluffing’. This is when men stuff handmade balls into their private parts. The balls that are stuffed require that the male cuts open the top skin on their private parts.
Bigger
Men do this to their private parts to make sure it is studded and appears bigger. Lukhele said they had identified this mostly from convicts and ex-convicts. The Key Population Department deals with treating and attending to sex workers, transgender women and men, inmates and men who sleep with other men and people who inject drugs into their body.
According to the iHealth.https, the act done by the men is called a Prince Albert (PA) piercing and may be done for different reasons.
Some men go for it for aesthetic reasons, whereas some may try it for sexual pleasure. Men with PA piercings report an increased sense of sexual gratification.
An ex-convict, who was asked about the practice, shared that the act was common in prison and inmates did it because they were boosting their ego and wanted pleasure when engaging in sexual intercourse.
When the former convict explained the gory details of the practice, he mentioned that it was highly painful and unsafe.
A health practitioner based in Mbabane said genital piercing, in both men and women, was not a new concept. She said evidence regarding the existence of genital piercing hundreds of years ago was also available.
“Prince Albert (PA) piercing is a type of genital piercing in which a ring or barbell jewellery is inserted through the opening (urethral opening) at the end of the private part, and it comes out through the under surface of the private part.
It is one of the most common genital piercings in men. The name ‘Prince Albert’ for this piercing comes from the belief that Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert had this penile piercing. There is, however, no confirmatory evidence for the same,” she said.
Treated
Meanwhile, Lukhele said most people they treated reported that PA piercing was painful. The pain felt may differ depending on one’s tolerance to pain, but there is a higher risk of rupture during intercourse. The cut may take around 6-8 weeks to heal. During the first few days, you may have some discomfort getting accustomed to the way you urinate or have sexual intercourse.
When explaining how this piercing spreads HIV/AIDS, Lukhele said men after getting the piercing tend to engage in unprotected sex and sometimes the condom tears during sexual intercourse.
“Any type of body piercing must be done by a licensed professional piercer. During the procedure, the piercer will wear sterilised gloves. They will then clean the skin of the private part with an antiseptic solution. There will be pain, scarring and deformity of the private part and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections,” she said.