Baby dies of heatstroke as temperatures continue to soar
1-year-old girl is the second to die in a week as country suffers from heatwave
A baby hospitalized last week for heatstroke died Saturday morning, the second death due to a heatwave raging across Israel.
The one-year-old and her father were hospitalized Monday with heatstroke and dehydration after the family had been hiking in the northern Hula Valley.
The baby’s mother called an ambulance after she noticed that the girl was unresponsive. The father was also feeling unwell and fainted.
The baby and father were brought to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed for care, where the baby’s condition was defined as critical. Her temperature was dangerously high, at over 107 degrees Fahrenheit, and she was suffering from multiple organ failure.
The father was in moderate condition and was released from the hospital the next day.
Dr. Yuri Wiener, head of children’s ICU at Ziv, said that the baby underwent continuous resuscitation efforts, and received fluids as well as heart and blood pressure support. She was sedated and put on a ventilator, with support for all essential organ systems.
The baby’s mother said that the family had been careful to take breaks and drink liquids during the hike.
Last week, an 18-year-old soldier, Dan Sela, died from heatstroke after he collapsed during an educational tour of Jerusalem’s Old City and was transferred to nearby Shaare Zedek Medical Center in serious condition.
The doctors at the Ziv Medical Center called on the wider public Saturday to refrain from outdoor trips and physical exercise during the heavy heatwave and to be careful to hydrate and apply sunscreen when going on trips to the beach or pool.
An eight-year-old girl was admitted to the Safed hospital Saturday in moderate condition also suffering from heatstroke.
Another eight people were hospitalized early last week, and around 150 hikers had to be rescued when they were stranded without water in northern Israel.
Temperatures were expected to return to be closer to the seasonal averages on Monday, according to weather forecasts.
Judah Ari Gross and Avi Lewis contributed to this report.