The Igud Harofim doctor's union said, this week, that it will distribute papers in maternity wards advising against the practice of "Metzitza B'Peh" in which a mohel sucks the blood from the circumcision wound after brit mila in some communities, according to a report by the Yediot Acharonot daily. The doctors are concerned about exposing the babies to herpes.

The announcement followed the refusal of Deputy Health Minister Ya'akov Litzman to publish such a warning. The Health Ministry responded by saying the Religious Affairs Office's committee on the supervision of mohels offers parents a guideline before brit mila where metzitza is practiced that if they object to direct placement of the mohel's mouth on the baby's penis, the blood can be sucked through a glass tube approved by the rabbinate. The ministry also said that it has a representative physician on the committee who examines all complaints on the matter.