Yet another infant has contracted herpes after a "metzitzah b’peh, a controversial circumcision ritual in the Ultra Orthodox Jewish community in which a mohel sucks blood from a baby's snipped foreskin. This is the fourth reported case this year and the 17th case since 2000—two infants have died from the virus, and two have suffered serious brain damage.
The NYC Department of Health says that the infant was born in November, and presented with lesions on his penis soon after his circumcision. A lab positively identified the herpes virus, and the Health Department says the symptoms, location and timing “are consistent” with the snip-'n-suck ritual. The department confirmed the case today, and a source tells us the infant is out of immediate danger and has been released from the hospital.
The city has tried to regulate the ritual, requiring mohels to obtain signed consent forms from parents starting in 2012. But some Orthodox groups argued this was an infringement on their First Amendment rights, and many mohels have ignored it. It is unclear whether the mohel responsible for the most recent case had a consent form.
Mayor de Blasio promised to enact stronger policy regarding "metzitzah b'peh," but the city has not enacted stronger regulations since he took office. “I would start over,” he said during a Democratic primary debate last year. “Change the policy to find a way to protect all the children but also respect religious tradition in an appropriate manner and come in Day 1 to City Hall with a new policy that's fair." Most recently, two infants became infected with herpes over the summer.
We contacted the mayor's office for comment and will update when we hear back.
