Call for circumcision safeguards after baby death

A coroner has warned that further babies could die unless the government introduces regulation of non-therapeutic male circumcision following the death of a six-month-old boy in west London.

Non-therapeutic circumcision is the removal of the foreskin of male babies and young children for religious or cultural reasons, rather than medical reasons.

Mohamed Abdisamad was circumcised on 12 February 2023, by a circumciser who had been recommended to his parents and requested by them to perform the procedure on their son, the West London Coroner's report said.

The baby began showing symptoms of illness three to four days later and was taken to hospital on 19 February and died the same day.

He was taken to Hillingdon Hospital by ambulance where he went into cardiorespiratory arrest and was pronounced dead at 23:55 GMT.

A jury inquest which concluded on 8 October 2025 found the medical cause of death to be an "invasive streptococcus pyogenes infection following male circumcision".

Assistant coroner Anton van Dellen wrote a prevention of future deaths report in which he called for action over the lack of safety and regulatory measures surrounding non-therapeutic male circumcisions.

"During the inquest, the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern," Dr van Dellen wrote in the report dated December 28 2025.

"In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken."

The coroner said there are no national safeguards governing non-therapeutic male circumcision, with no requirements for training, accreditation or registration of those carrying out the procedure, and no rules on record keeping, infection control or aftercare.

He also pointed to the lack of a system for obtaining consent prior to the procedure being carried out.

The report is being sent to the Department of Health and Social Care, and to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

They have 56 days from the date of the report being issued to respond, the coroner said.

Copies of the report are also being sent to Mohamed's mother and father, his maternal grandmother, his uncle, and the London Ambulance Service.