Protect Your Children
Devastating Toll: Measles Claims 6th Child's Life, With 7 More in ICU, as Outbreak Escalates
A one-and-a-half-year-old toddler tragically became the sixth child to die from measles complications since the start of the outbreak, with seven more unvaccinated children currently in intensive care, prompting the Ministry of Health to issue emergency vaccination instructions in high-risk cities.
The measles outbreak in Israel has reached a devastating level, with a one-and-a-half-year-old toddler becoming the sixth child to die from complications of the highly contagious disease. The toddler collapsed in the Beit Yisrael neighborhood on Saturday evening after suffering multi-system failure. Despite intensive resuscitation efforts at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, medical teams were tragically forced to pronounce the child dead.
This marks the sixth fatality since the outbreak began, and the fourth death in the past week alone. Just two days prior, a fifth fatal case was reported: a one-year-old infant who was hospitalized in critical condition after battling the disease for three weeks. Earlier in the week, another one-year-old baby girl, hospitalized for two months, also passed away from secondary organ failure related to the disease, despite weeks of life support, including an ECMO machine.
The vast majority of those afflicted belong to the Haredi community. Currently, 21 measles patients remain hospitalized across Israel, with most being unvaccinated children under the age of six. Seven of these patients are in intensive care, and one is connected to an ECMO machine.
The Ministry of Health has issued urgent warnings about measles, a highly dangerous viral disease that can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, meningitis, and death, particularly among vulnerable populations like infants, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised. The disease is transmitted through the air via coughing or sneezing and infects over 90% of unvaccinated individuals exposed to an infected person.
Symptoms, which typically appear two weeks after infection, include high fever, dry cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a characteristic rash that spreads from the face downward.
In an attempt to contain the escalating crisis, the Ministry of Health has implemented emergency vaccination measures. While the routine schedule involves doses at 12 months and around age six, the Ministry now recommends advancing the second dose to 18 months in outbreak areas. Furthermore, clinics in active outbreak zones, including Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak, Harish, Modi’in Illit, and Nof HaGalil, have been instructed to provide immediate vaccination to infants aged six to 11 months without an appointment. Vaccination centers have been established in these cities to ensure easy access.
Authorities continue to emphasize that the measles vaccine is the most effective and safest way to prevent infection and stop the disease's spread. For those exposed to a patient, preventive measures include active vaccination within 72 hours or passive immunization (immune globulin) up to six days after exposure, with specialized treatment for unvaccinated pregnant women, infants, and immunocompromised individuals.