SPECIAL FEATURES:
Email
Rare circumcision ritual may carry herpes risk, says CDC
The CDC has identified at least three circumcisers, or mohliem, as responsible for the spreading of herpes to infants, though it could be as many as eight.
Thu, Jun 07 2012 at 12:43 PM
Related Topics:
SNIP: A baby about to recieve a circumcision during a brit milah. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish circumcision practice in which the circumciser places his mouth on a newborn's newly circumcised penis and sucks blood away from the wound carries a risk of transmitting the herpes virus to the baby, sometimes fatally, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report is based on researchers' investigation into the cases of 11 infants in New York City who were infected with the herpes virus after this procedure, known as metzitzah b’peh ("direct orogenital suction"), between November 2000 and December 2011. Ten of these infants were hospitalized, and two died.
Some of the infants’ parents were not aware this technique would be a part of their child’s circumcision, the researchers found. Parents should be aware of the risk of herpes in metzitzah b’peh, and should inquire in advance whether direct orogenital suction will be performed so the practice can be avoided, the CDC researchers said.
"Oral contact with a newborn’s open wound risks transmission of [herpes simplex virus] and other pathogens," the researches wrote in their report. "Circumcision is a surgical procedure that should be performed under sterile conditions."
The virus that was found in most of the infants, called herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) — which is typically associated with cold sores, but does not always cause any symptoms — is highly prevalent in the general adult population, the report said. A 2004 study showed that 73 percent of adults ages 20 and older in New York City carried the virus.
At least three of the infants, including one who died, were circumcised by the same person, the report said. The New York City Commissioner of Health has issued a directive ordering that person to stop performing direct orogenital suction during circumcisions.
At least three mohliem (circumcisers) performed the circumcisions of the 11 infected infants, and there may have been as many as eight mohliem, the CDC said. In some cases, parents refused to identify their child's circumciser to CDC officials.
The rate of newborn boys who undergo direct orogenital suction and contract herpes infections is 24.4 per 100,000, the report said. That's 3.4 times higher than the rate of herpes infections seen in the general newborn male population, which is 8 per 100,000. Other cases of herpes are typically transmitted from mother to infant during delivery.
Neonatal herpes infections is a potentially disabling, life-threatening infection, the report said.
Physicians should counsel parents considering out-of-hospital circumcisions about the risks of direct orogenital suction, and should consider herpes infection when evaluating a newborn male infant with a fever following Jewish ritual circumcision, and inquire about direct orogenital suction, the CDC said.
Mohelim should inform parents about whether they perform direct orogenital suction, and explain the risk of virus transmission, so that parents can choose not to have their newborns exposed, the report said.
Follow MyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. Find us on Facebook.
Related on MyHealthNewsDaily:
Copyright 2012 MyHealthNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved.
You might also like:
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
EDITORS' PICKS
Advertisement
TODAY'S MOST POPULAR ON
- Man tattoos puppy, faces backlash
- 13 natural remedies for the ant invasion
- The mystery of Devil's Kettle Falls
- Tornado survivor finds dog during live TV interview
- The squirrel that wears many hats
- What causes tornadoes?
- 7 ways to ensure you sleep more soundly
- The 9 nastiest things in your supermarket
- Olive oil and nuts make you smarter, study finds
- 'Gay' dog rescued from Tenn. animal shelter
NEWSLETTER
Advertisement
As a Jew, I find this article not only baseless but extremely insulting, especially when you seem to think it is a myth we should all "be aware of" and "pass on". What kind of parent would let anyone suck their 8 day old babies penis? This "sucking of the blood" from the direct wound is most certainly not part of the practice.
I urge you, to correct this article and to be more sensitive towards the Jewish community.