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Dr. '''Thomas R. Frieden''' , {{MD}}, {{MPH}}, is the current former director of the U.S. [[Centers for Disease Controland Prevention]] and Prevention (CDC) and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). He was New York City Health Commissioner from 2002–2009.<ref>{{REFweb | quote= | url=http://www.cdc.gov/about/leadership/leaders/Frieden.htm | title=CDC Leadership | last= | first= | publisher=USA.gov | website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | date= | accessdate=2011-04-24}}</ref> As Health Commissioner of New York City, Frieden tried to promote [[circumcision ]] as a way to prevent [[HIV ]] in homosexual males.<ref>{{REFjournal | last=McNeil | first=Donald | coauthorsinit=D | pubyeardate=2007-04-05 | title=New York City Plans to Promote Circumcision to Reduce Spread of AIDS | journal=The New York Times | volume= | issue= | pages= | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/nyregion/05aids.html?_r=1 | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=2011-04-24

| last=Maher | first=Theresa | coauthorsinit=T | pubyeardate=2007-04-07 | title=NYC Plans To Recommend Circumcision in Anti-AIDS Crusade | journal=News Locale | volume= | issue= | pages= | url=http://newslocale.org/health/hnews/nyc_plans_to_recommend_circumcision_in_anti-aids_crusade_20070407256.html | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=2011-04-24

| last=Young | first=John | coauthorsinit=J | pubyeardate=2007-04-07 | title=NYC Eyes Circumcision Push To Fight AIDS | journal=Todays THV | volume= | issue= | pages= | url=http://www.todaysthv.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=44061 | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=2011-04-24

| last=United Press International | first= | coauthors= | pubyeardate=2007-04-05 | title=N.Y. Health Officials Back Circumcision | journal=Todays THV | volume= | issue= | pages= | url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/893925/ny_health_officials_back_circumcision/index.html | quote= | pubmedID= | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=2011-04-24}}</ref> He cited the latest African trials and tried to advocate circumcision as [[HIV ]] prevention policy in general.

== [[Metzitzah b'peh]] herpes cases ==In 2005, a [[Metzitzah b'peh| circumcision ritual ]]practiced by some Orthodox Jews alarmed city health officials, after it led to three cases of [[herpes - ]] — one of them fatal.<ref name='commish-letter'/>

The New York City Health Commissioner at the time, [[Thomas R. Frieden]], wrote a letter to the Jewish community pardoning the [[Yitzhok Fischer| ''mohel'' involved ]] and dropped the matter as not being a New York City public health issue by stating that "[it] is our preference for the religious community to address these issues itself."<ref name='commish-letter'>{{REFnews | last=Frieden | first=Thomas R. | coauthorsfirst2=Michael R. |last2=Bloomberg | url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/std/std-bris-commishletter.pdf | title=The city of New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene | date= | publisher= | quote= | contribution=An Open Letter to the Jewish Community from the New York City Health Commissioner | accessdate=2011-04-24

| quote= | url=http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2005/09/nyc_mayor_gives.html | title=NYC Mayor Gives In To Satmar, Agudah In Apparent Election Deal – Circumcision Deal Clearly Not Kosher | last= | first= | publisher= | work= | date=2005-09-21 | accessdate=2022-06-25

| Title=Acknowledgement of the Problem | Text=...there is no reasonable doubt that the practice of metzitzah b’peh (“suction by mouth”) has infected several infants in New York City with the [[herpes ]] virus, including one child who died and another who has evidence of brain damage...The connection between metzitzah b’peh and neonatal [[herpes ]] has been documented in the medical literature... | Author=Thomas R. Frieden | Source= | langref=| before<ref name="Frieden-2005">{{REFdocument | afterurl=| Transcription=| Translation=| ref=<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061214110055/http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/std/std-bris-commishletter.pdf |title=Frieden. Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2005). An open letter to the Jewish community.] |format=PDF |accessdate=2019-10-16}}</ref>

| Title=Downplaying the Dangers of ''Metzitzah B'Peh'' | Text=With an estimated average of fewer than 30 cases of all forms of infant [[herpes ]] infections occurring per year in New York City, the odds of one mohel being associated with 3 cases ofneonatal [[herpes ]] are infinitesimally small (about 6.9 million to 1)...Some religious authorities consider metzitzah b’peh the only acceptable way to draw blood away from the circumcision cut. | Author=Thomas R. Frieden | Source=| lang=| before=| after=| Transcription=| Translation= | ref=<ref>[http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/std/std-brisname="Frieden-commishletter.pdf Frieden. Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2005). An open letter to the Jewish community.]<"/ref>

Thomas did make a number of recommendations, including the recommendation that the ''[[mohel]]'' place a glass tube or a glass tube attached to a rubber bulb around the infants infant's [[penis ]] before suction so as not to allow the lips of the ''[[mohel]]'' to come in direct contact with the child's [[bleeding ]] penis. However, since a ban was not to be placed, and since "some religious authorities consider metzitzah b’peh the only acceptable way to draw blood", he encouraged parents to "weigh the risks of [[Metzitzah b'peh|metzitzah b’peh]]" before choosing it over alternatives.<ref name='commish-letter'/>

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