A controversial Jewish circumcision practice in which the blood of a baby’s cut penis is sucked by a religious leader has been condemned after the deaths of two infants.
The ‘metzitzah b’peh’ performed by ultra Orthodox Jews sees the eight-day old baby have a traditional circumcision but the ‘mohel’ then places his mouth around the wound and sucks up the blood.
But the practice – intended to prevent infection – has sparked controversy in recent years after the death of two infants and the contraction of herpes in at least 11 others between November 2000 and December 2011.
Full story: New York wants to ban Jewish circumcision ritual because it causes fatal HERPES in babies