WHO approves first non-surgical circumcision device that could slow spread of AIDS

A first-of-its-kind, non-surgical circumcision device that could forestall the spread of AIDS in Africa has reportedly received approval from World Health Organization.

According to The New York Times, The PrePex is the only circumcision method, aside from conventional surgery, to gain approval from the international health organization.

WHO reportedly gave its approval to the device on Friday, Fox News reported.

Dr. Eric P. Goosby, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, subsequently told the paper that the device would "truly help save lives."

It is said that circumcision lowers the chance of a heterosexual male contracting HIV, or the virus that causes AIDS, through sexual intercourse by about 60 percent.

The Times reported that the U.S. has so far paid for more than 2 million circumcisions in Africa to assist the continent with its spiraling AIDS epidemic.

A two-nurse team reportedly employs the PrePex to kill off a male's foreskin through the utilization of a rubber band. The procedure, according to The Times, necessitates only topical anesthesia, and is safer than surgery.

The device was developed by Circ MedTech, an Irsaeli company founded in 2009, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.