There Ought to Be a Law?: Comparative Case Studies in the Role of Community Engagement and Policy Making Targeting HSV-1 Infection Following Ritualized Circumcision

This paper compares and contrasts two different public health case studies in which public health authorities sought to address HSV-1 infection in Orthodox Jewish communities following ritualized circumcision. Using these cases, the author critiques the use of a governmental regulatory approach when public health authorities target a minority community for a practice which is not valued by the dominant political culture. Lastly, the author describes the benefits of community engagement in addressing such non-emergent public health concerns, particularly if the community involved is a religious minority one.