Brooklyn, NY – Despite reports by a source within the medical community of a suspected case of neonatal herpes at Maimonides Hospital that was potentially contracted by metzitzah b’peh, VIN news has confirmed that the three week old baby boy who has made headlines this past week has tested negative for herpes.
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The father of the baby, who asked to remain unidentified due to the sensitive nature of the matter, sent VIN News copies of the hospital reports indicating that the baby tested negative for herpes.
“When we got to the hospital, the baby’s rash was the classic picture of a herpes infection, therefore they started screening right away for herpes,” the baby’s father told VIN News. “They ran all sorts of tests: spinal, urine, blood, skin swabs, everything. It all came back negative.”
According to the father, the three week old baby’s rash is being treated as if it were herpes, but given the medical findings, doctors now suspect either a very bad diaper rash or a generic, run of the mill infection.
“This had nothing to do with the mohel,” said the father of the baby.
A story that ran in today’s Jewish Week and was also posted on VIN News reported that the New York City Department of Health was investigating a new case of neonatal herpes at Maimonides, which they suspected was a direct result of metzitzah b’peh performed at the baby’s bris, although a spokesperson for Maimonides refused to confirm or deny any facts regarding that case citing HIPAA privacy laws.
It has not been confirmed if the story in the Jewish Week refers to the baby mentioned above or a completely different case.
Refuah shlaima
Even if this particular story is true, it doesn’t mitigate the fact that MdP is a dangerous practice.
In other words, they saw a Jew, they said to themselves, “must be that disgusting Jew practice”, told the whole world it was so, and then it turned out they were wrong. Sounds like a page right out of the Anti-Semite Playbook. And especially coming right before Pesach, sounds like another type of anti-Semitic story.
Fortunately, this episode had a positive ending but there have been documented cases of Herpes being transmitted in other cases by a mohel engaging in this disgusting practice. It should be outlawed and any mohel who persists in this practice should be prosecuted to the fullest extent the law will allow. As so many others have posted here, this minhag dates from hundreds of years ago when they had no clue as to the potential risks. There are all sorts of “mystical” bubba meiesas that have evolved based on various stories that if the mohel is a talmid chacham and tazadik, he can somehoe magically transfer those attributes through intimate contact with the baby’s gentials after Milah. If we don’t want to encourage those crazies who would outlaw Milah entirely, lets stop this practice and not give them more ammunition.
If the clamp used for the umbilical cord is NOT sterilized properly, the baby then gets a tiny rash on the umbilical cord. If this oozes, it goes straight onto the bris area and causes an infection. This is very dangerous to a newborn baby. Actually, to any open wound …the hospital must be more stringent in their sterile methods. This, of course, has nothing to do with the parents or the Mohel.
Thanks VIN for posting the facts.
Everyone who needs…, Please post apologies below:
Not sure I understand. Metzitza b’peh can’t possibly cause herpes from the mohel. And if a baby does catch herpes after a bris, then it’s if course impossible to be from the mohel.
So then why is this a news item? And why did the father have to say “it has nothing to do with the mohel ? I just don’t understand.
Thanx Hashem for the truth coming out…
Tzar to the parents,richilus on the mohel when is this stupidity going to stop?
Let the father release the ACTUAL reports.
I knew it, I just knew it!!
It takes up to 90 days for an accurate result for herpes.
This again proves how trustworthy all these assumptions are, and I am speaking from an Halachik perspective. All those who vehemently and blindly proclaim MBP to be an absolute risk, their claims need to be reconciled, on what is it being based upon??
If a Mohel constantly abides to all rules, and checks himself monthly, etc, I still do not see the risk.
The above has been discussed in the poskim if the claim of secular Dr’s can be trusted, as they themselves, personally, wouldn’t mind ridding the whole “outdated” ancient practice….
There is no statistic that children who had mbp are Developing herpes on a bigger scale then baby’s who didn’t have a bris with mbp… 85% of people are tested positive on some sort of herpes and there is no reason to believe that if a baby is developing it, that it comes from the mohel rather then from the mother. therefore there is no reason for all u Jew bashers and for the department of health to open a case egainst every Jew who is developing herpes just because he is Jewish .. A relative of my there child was diagnosed with herpes 6 years ago. It was clear for the health department that the father and the mother was tested positive for herpes and all they wanted to do is open a case egainst the mohel. the reason it was developed so hart is because mymanedies hospital didn’t made the right tests, and thay send the baby home two times without proper medical treatments. we didn’t want to tell them who the mohel was, because we knew the facts and there agenda so they were just sitting there for months interrogating all the family members by sitting there 24-7 and by opening a child abuse case egainst the family till we put in a lawsuit egainst the health department and mymanedis then everything stopped.
Remember what I said last week. If the Resident in Maimonides made the diagnosis it is obviously wrong. Their diagnosis is either completely wrong or they cover up their mistakes by blaming it on others. In this case the Ohel
If it is proven beyond the shadow of doubt that this custom has sickened even 1 child, it should be banned, period “chamira sekanta me’isiru”, and especially this custom which if not done is not an isur at all, the child still had a perfect bris regardless
To all Vocal Pessimists:
What a catastrophe?
Criticism and Bad-Mouthing “Mtzitza-by-Mouth”, with all associated dangers performed by all these so-called criminals from these so-called MEDICAL-kNOw-IT-ALLS and TORAH-kNOw-IT-ALLS.
Did any of the pessimists do research on how much Herpes and other contagious diseases have been caused from KISSING – the stuff that is normal in all societies since Creation or for some of you since your ancestors that were male and female apes. Did you ever have a sore in your mouth after waking up in the morning? Did you ever get it a second time? Again, out of kNOw where? Why do most people never wake up with a sore or blister on their Thigh? What is your take of staff-disease? Do you ever visit a hospital? Were you reluctant? Were you ever in a rush hour NYC subway (yes, your honor, Mr. Bloomberg)? Were you ever in public (transportation, school, library, theater, pool toilets) while having a cold, a cough or strepped throat. How often do you wash your hands with disinfectant after using a bathroom and wiping yourself? Do you ever eat in a restaurant (including your Honors Grade A places)? Do you use your hands to flush or open a water faucet in a public facility? Did you ever put your finger in your nose and not wash it with soap immediately prior to touching anything that your spouse, child, family, friend or just any human might get in contact with? Better yet, how often do you do it? Are all of you Accusers, single (yes, your Honor) and never engaged in any relationship during your lifetime. Most contagious diseases proliferate from the above. You may have to stop exhaling or your partner will have to stop inhaling so that you will spread disease and cause your partners murder. Your partner will have to stop exhaling or you shall stop inhaling so that you do not contact a disease and die. 99.9% of humanity is guiltier of spreading various contagious and fatal diseases than any Mohel. It is a fact that, generally, Mohelim like Doctors are more conscientious to hygiene than the general and average person and give them the credit.
The only reason that today’s generally accepted experts have not made an alarm is because that is the way of our lifestyle – in today’s culture. Making an alarm is really OVER REACTING.
This is exactly what is happening now with this current issue and this is exactly what happened years ago with Mohel Fischers issue.
Be honest and frank about all your past opinions.
Thank You for reading my opinion.
Rational and Objective
My question is why does one need to go to the hospital with a diaper rash, even a very bad one? for starters, the emergency rooms are overcrowded with people coming in for trivial matters easily handled by a pediatrician, making it more difficult to get timely care for more urgent cases.
Maimonides is more than happy to first blame the mohel before even getting test results back.
i just really feel bad for the parents, nebach. Why couldnt the doctor or hospital do some sort of culture and sensitivity with the wound and see which antibiotic may have helped?? if it wasnt herpes what was it.??…we should know to prevent others.ch’v
Why is this such a polarizing issue? Either there is no reason to do it, or all poskim say you must do mbP. Sorry, it is a simple machlokes haposkim. The Mishna Berura brings two opinions and does not decide. The Chassam Sofer said you can do it with a keli. R’ Yitzchok Elchonon and the Aruch LaNer are vehemently against using a keli and insist you must do it by mouth. R’ Chaim Brisker was known to be meikel, and R’ Chaim Ozer told a local mohel who had a sickness in his mouth not to do it bepeh. This is not ikarei hadas, machlokes in this case is no different to many other halachic machlokesin in Judaism. Chill out.
All Hospitals make tons of mistakes, all the time!
They even give the wrong medications to people, very often, because of their negligence, but no one ever finds out because it’s considered “normal” for people to die in a Hospital. After all most people die in a Hospital!
The FIX
We need to give these Hospitals a taste of their own medicine.
There are plenty of people in the Frum community who know of plenty of gross negligence in EVERY Hospital, (and Especially in Maimonides Hospital) which happens all the time, except that most Yidden don’t have the resolve to Go After Them.
Especially after a death in the family Chas Vesholom, caused by Gross Negligence of the Hospital, most frum Yidden are so distraught from the death in the family and think that a Law Suite against the Hospital “will not bring him back” anyway, so what’s the point to make a Lawsuit against the Hospital?
Give Maimonides Hospital a taste of their own medicine and they will take a run for their money and focus on some other shtusim to save their own backside.
Great idea! Let’s destroy the local hospital just because they had the temerity to claim that there is a link between sucking a baby’s open wound and the transmission of disease.