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By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) — The practice of"oral-genital suction" performed during some OrthodoxJewish circumcision ceremonies could leave the infant with apotentially fatal herpes virus infection, health officials warn. New York City and federal health authorities issued a publicadvisory Thursday cautioning against the sucking practice becauseit has been linked to 11 infants becoming infected with the herpessimplex virus type 1 since 2000. Ten of the infected newborns werehospitalized, two developed brain damage and two died, the healthofficials said. A newborn can become infected when the adult performing thecircumcision places his mouth on the circumcision wound to siphonblood away from the cut. The ritual is only embraced by a handfulof sects within the Orthodox Jewish community, according to NewYork City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. "There is no safe way to perform oral suction on any openwound in a newborn," Farley said in a news release."Parents considering ritual Jewish circumcision need to knowthat circumcision should only be performed under sterileconditions, like any other procedures that create open cuts,whether by mohelim [the circumciser] or medicalprofessionals." A report on the infections also appears in the June 8 issue of theU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report . Almost 80 percent of adults carry the herpes simplex virus type 1,which is usually spread orally through common activities and isdifferent from the sexually transmitted type 2 version of thevirus. The common cold sore is a typical sign of infection with theherpes simplex virus type 1, but most people don't know theyare infected because they have no history of symptoms, officialssaid. In six of the 11 circumcision cases, health care providersconfirmed that the suction ritual had taken place, although therewas evidence of a connection in the other five cases. The ritualmore than tripled the risk of infection among newborns gettingcircumcised, the CDC report stated. New York's deputy health commissioner, Dr. Jay Varma, said:"The [New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene]has been concerned about this problem for some time. And so we aretaking the approach right now to try and educate parents and thecommunity about the dangers of this very specific procedure. "The infections we're talking about are not the onespeople normally associate with sexual type interaction," headded. "Many actually acquire herpes type 1 when they arechildren, because it can be gotten through very casual contact.This causes what people commonly call cold sores in the mouth. "We're not implying in any way that these mohel[circumcisers] have done anything untoward in a sexualcontext," Varma said. "The point is that regardless ifyou're a mohel or someone else, having direct contact withthe mouth and an open wound is a hazard." To highlight the risks involved, Varma cited an incident in 2004when twin boys were diagnosed with herpes following oral-genitalsuction during circumcision. About two weeks later, both babiesdeveloped fevers and lesions around their genitals, buttocks andabdomen. One of boys later died. The boys' mother and hospital staffers were ruled out as apossible source of infection. Dr. Philip Tierno, director of clinical microbiology and pathologyat New York University Medical Center, said the sucking practice isa "bad idea." "There are about 500 different microorganisms in the humanmouth," he said. "So, I think it's insanity.It's not only unhygienic, but it can potentially kill thechild. So, for the protection of children this is a practice thatshould be discontinued." More information For more on herpes, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine . SOURCES: Jay Varma, M.D., deputy commissioner, disease control, NewYork City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Philip Tierno,M.D., Ph.D., director, clinical microbiology and pathology, NewYork University Medical Center, New York City; June 6, 2012,advisory, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene;June 8, 2012, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , online Last Updated: June 07, 2012 Copyright 2012 HealthDay . All rights reserved. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Wifi Enabled Phone Supplier , Wifi Enabled Phone for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits China Wifi Enabled Phone.
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