One-year-old dies of measles in Jerusalem, 14th fatality in outbreak

A 1-year-old baby who was not vaccinated against measles and had no underlying conditions died due to complications of the disease, the Health Ministry says.

The baby was brought to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem in critical condition. A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed that the baby was pronounced dead after being rushed to the emergency room.

The death marks the 14th fatality in Israel due to the measles outbreak that began in May. Most of the victims were healthy children with no underlying diseases who were not vaccinated against measles.

The ministry emphasizes the importance of receiving medical care in a timely fashion when symptoms appear, or when there is suspicion of exposure to the disease.

The ministry recommends that resident of outbreak areas, or anyone traveling to those areas or traveling abroad, give infants aged 6–11 months a measles vaccine shot — in addition to the two routine shots given at 12 months of age and in 1st grade — and adults and children over 12 months old who have had one shot should receive a second shot earlier than scheduled.

Areas classified as experiencing a measles outbreak, as of November, are Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak, Harish, Modi’in Illit, Nof HaGalil, Kiryat Gat, Ashdod, Safed, Netivot, Haifa, Tiberias, the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, and the settlement of Tekoa.