The Ministry of Health reported the ninth child death from complications of measles: a seven-year-old boy from Jerusalem who was vaccinated with a single dose against measles. It is noted that the child had an underlying disease.
Previously, eight children died from measles in Israel – all of them were unvaccinated, without concomitant diseases.
To date, 16 people diagnosed with measles remain in Israeli hospitals, eight of them in intensive care.
The Ministry of Health reminds that measles is a highly contagious disease that can be prevented through safe and effective vaccination.
Updated Ministry of Health guidelines recommend that all children be vaccinated at age one and at age six (as part of the standard vaccination program). In areas where there is an outbreak, it is recommended to postpone the second dose of the vaccine until the age of one and a half years.
Infants aged six to eleven months in areas experiencing a measles outbreak are given an additional vaccine.
Currently, a measles outbreak has been reported in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak, Harish, Modiin Illit, Nof HaGalil, Kiryat Gat, Ashdod, Safed, Netivot, and the local council of Mate Binyamin.
In the above-mentioned areas, residents can go to Tipat Halav, health insurance offices and special measles vaccination points that are open without the need for an appointment.
Unvaccinated individuals and parents of infants who have received only one dose of the vaccine between 6 and 11 months of age are advised to avoid large gatherings in high-risk areas due to the high risk of infection.