MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks, so parents of baby boys should consider it and health insurers should pay for it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released draft guidelines on circumcision and said it will receive public comments for the next 45 days before finalizing them.

These are the first federal guidelines on circumcision. The CDC started working on the guidelines about seven years ago, when a cluster of influential studies in Africa indicated circumcision might help stop the spread of the AIDS virus.

Circumcision involves cutting away foreskin around the tip of the penis. Germs can grow underneath the foreskin, and CDC officials say the procedure can lower a male’s risk of sexually-transmitted diseases, penile cancer and even urinary tract infections.