Prisoners in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province are to be circumcised to fight the spread of HIV in jail, the region's health minister has said. Sibongiseni Dhlomo said 148 prisoners had already been circumcised. Officials in KwaZulu-Natal, which has one of the highest HIV infection rates in South Africa, told the BBC it would not be imposed on inmates. Some studies suggest being circumcised can help men halve their chances of contracting the Aids virus. The Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini, recently lifted a traditional ban on circumcision, in a bid to fight HIV. It had been prohibited by King Shaka in the 19th Century because he said it robbed him of young warriors for months at a time. 'Wildfire' Since April, when the health authorities in KwaZulu-Natal began their circumcision drive, more than 10,000 men have opted to be circumcised, the South African Press Association reports. Dr Dhlomo said the department had a target of 2.5m circumcisions by June 2014. He said 148 circumcisions had been done at Qalakabusha Prison - and a prison circumcision campaign was about to begin. "We will soon start circumcising prisoners in our campaign to reduce infections," he said. South Africa's Prisoners Human Rights Organisation told the BBC it welcomed the move as long as inmates were properly informed. Spokesman Golden Miles Bhudu said it might be in the best interest of inmates. "It may help fight the scourge as HIV/Aids, which appears to be spreading like wildfire in South African prisons," he said. More than 5.7 million people in South Africa live with the HIV virus - more than in any other country. Source: BBC