Petah Tikva was declared a city with a measles outbreak

The Ministry of Health announced this evening (Sunday) that Petah Tikva was officially declared a city with a measles outbreak. The announcement was made following confirmed cases of illness and fear of the continued spread of the virus in the community.

Earlier today it was published for the first time in Mako Health about two toddlers who were diagnosed with measles in Petah Tikva after being exposed to the virus. The two were not vaccinated before the exposure, and one of them developed a complication of pneumonia and needed hospitalization. In addition, dozens of other children received notifications from the Ministry of Health about exposure to a confirmed measles patient in various settings in the city. After the publication in Mako, the clinic in the city announced that another measles patient had been diagnosed at the clinic.

The Ministry of Health stated that as of now, since the beginning of the outbreak, 12 measles patients have been located in Petah Tikva, including local chains of infection, while following the current infection and as part of the epidemiological investigations carried out by the Health Bureau, additional people, including children who were exposed to the confirmed patients, were located, and they were offered preventive treatment.

The ministry defines a place with a measles outbreak when there are two or more patients with an epidemiological connection between them, and within a specified time frame. In such a case, it is possible to immediately carry out preventive actions and stop the spread, including the introduction of the second vaccine dose starting at the age of one and a half, and a recommendation for an additional vaccination for babies aged 6-11 months.

The Ministry of Health said that with the announcement of the outbreak, there was a worsening of the guidelines, primarily a change in the vaccination policy: as part of the outbreak, babies aged six months to 11 months are entitled to receive an early vaccination against measles, in addition to the routine vaccination schedule. Children who have not been vaccinated or partially vaccinated are required to complete vaccination, and in cases of exposure among populations that cannot be vaccinated, preventive treatment using antibodies is given.

The development in Petah Tikva joins an ongoing measles outbreak in Israel. Since the beginning of the outbreak, about 12 children have died from the disease, when the vast majority were not vaccinated, and only one of them was vaccinated – partially.

At the Ministry of Health, where we remind you that measles is a preventable disease through an effective and safe vaccine, we point out that Petah Tikva joins the list of cities and municipalities that have already been declared hotspots of measles outbreaks, including Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak, Modi’in Illit, Harish, Nof HaGalil, Kiryat Gat, Netivot, Mata Binyamin Regional Council, Beitar Illit, Tiberias and Safed. On the other hand, cities where a decrease in morbidity was recorded, including Haifa and Ashdod, are currently not defined as outbreak centers.