New Delhi (PTI): In what can aid the fight against HIV/AIDS, an Indian andrologist has developed a design for a device to carry out circumcision in men, known to prevent the spread of the virus, at a mass scale.

The device, which will make the process smooth with no bleeding involved, has been developed by Dr Sudhakar Krishnamurti, Andrologist, Andromeda Centre, Hyderabad, as part of a project of the International Society of Sexual Medicine (ISSM).

The ISSM launched the project after it was approached by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international agencies to help develop a technique for carrying out circumcision, especially in sub-Saharan African countries.

"Even paramedics can do mass circumcision with the new device. And once done, there will be no bleeding," said Krishnamurti.

The new device is designed to consist of light-weight metal or high-grade polymer in the form of two concentric cylinders which carry at their respective ends two consecutive rings for placement on the inner and outer layers of the foreskin respectively, Krishnamurti explained.

"Thermal, laser or electrical energy will then be applied to these two layers through the respective concentric rings in order to seal blood vessels and to cut neatly the two layers of the skin," he said.

The device is then removed along with the circumcised skin.

The technique has been accepted by the world bodies and could be implemented in sub-Saharan countries, where HIV/AIDS has taken epidemic proportions.

Circumcision helps protect against HIV infection substantially, as it removes cells under the foreskin, that are vulnerable to the virus.

When the foreskin is removed, the skin on the head of the penis becomes less sensitive and therefore less likely to bleed, thereby reducing the risk of infection.

Circumcision is practised in certain communities wherein it is performed amongst children as a religious belief.

"In adults, it is performed by qualified surgeons, which involves a long hospital stay and bloody procedure," said Krishnamurti.