Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infection Following Jewish Ritual Circumcisions that Included Direct Orogenital Suction -- New York City, 2000-2011.

The article reports on cases of neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection following Jewish ritual circumcisions in New York. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) learned that a total of 11 newborn males had laboratory-confirmed HSV infection in the weeks following out-of-hospital Jewish ritual circumcisions. Parents reported that the ritual included an ultra-Orthodox Jewish practice known as metzitzah b'peh which risks transmission of HSV and other pathogens.