For the first time in years, three cases of cholera have been identified in Israel, Kan Reshet Bet reported on Monday morning. According to the report, two Israelis contracted the disease in Ethiopia. The third case, which was recently identified in the Haifa area, was diagnosed in an Israeli who contracted the disease in Israel after drinking well water from Ethiopia brought by one of the other infected Israelis. Cholera is a severe intestinal disease that causes diarrhea and vomiting and can lead to dehydration and even death. The disease is common in developing countries with poor hygiene and sewage conditions. The Health Ministry recommended that Israelis who travel to Ethiopia should avoid drinking tap water or well water, as well as avoid eating street food.

Postpartum depression has become pretty well known, to the extent that some people even just use the term “postpartum” itself to refer to it. However perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADS) include more than just depression and it’s important to distinguish between these different disorders. Aside from postpartum depression, PMADS include postpartum anxiety, postpartum OCD and postpartum psychosis. Postpartum Anxiety: When Worry Becomes Overwhelming Approximately 10-20 percent of women who give birth will experience postpartum anxiety.

The measles outbreak in Israel continues to spread, with the Health Ministry reporting on Thursday morning that 48 people have been diagnosed across the country, 77% of whom are unvaccinated. There are currently 13 patients hospitalized with measles, including 11 children. Three of the children, all unvaccinated, are in critical condition and being treated in intensive care units. A Health Ministry spokesperson stated that the current data indicates a worse outbreak than was previously reported to the Ministry. The Ministry has warned that many of the cases are in Chareidi areas, where vaccination rates are low. Ministry officials are concerned that the outbreak could worsen considerably due to the upcoming mass event at Meron on Lag B’Omer.

Amid an outbreak of measles in the city of Modi’in Illit, the city Rabbanim published a letter this week calling on the public to urgently vaccinate themselves and their children against the disease. An outbreak of measles in Israel began last month, including in several Chareidi cities. There are currently 14 cases in Modi’in Ilit, eight in Jerusalem, and eight in Bnei Brak. According to data from the Health Ministry, there are about 350,000 Israeli children under the age of 10 who are not vaccinated – 100,000 of them in the Chareidi community. The Health Ministry is working to raise awareness of the risks and provide accessible information about vaccinations to the Chareidi public.

We are a community that cares. When a child is sick, we seek the best doctors. When someone needs help, we show up. And Baruch Hashem, when it comes to mental health, we’ve come a long way. People are going to therapy. We’re talking more openly. The stigma is breaking. But something isn’t adding up. People are spending years in therapy — and still suffering. The anxiety is still there. The depression hasn’t lifted. The trauma still haunts. Relationships remain broken. And families feel like they’re drowning. Too many people go to therapy hoping for healing — and walk away with little more than “processing,” “insight,” or “support.” While that can be meaningful, it’s often not enough. Not when someone is truly struggling. Not when they need to get better.

A groundbreaking Israeli study has found that GLP-1 medications — the popular class of weight-loss drugs that includes Ozempic and Wegovy — can dramatically reduce the risk of developing obesity-related cancers, surpassing even the benefits of bariatric surgery. The findings, published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, analyzed thousands of patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes who were prescribed GLP-1 drugs such as liraglutide (Saxenda), exenatide (Byetta), and dulaglutide (Trulicity). The study excluded newer drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Zepbound), but still showed striking results: patients on GLP-1s were 41% less likely to develop obesity-linked cancers than those who underwent surgical weight loss procedures.

Seventy to eighty percent of mothers experience the “baby blues,” but a staggering one in seven go on to develop postpartum depression—making it the most common complication of childbirth. The perinatal period—from the start of pregnancy through the first year after childbirth—can be a time of great excitement and joy, but for many, it is also marked by mental health challenges. In frum communities, where we place a strong value on having children and have high birth rates, awareness of perinatal mood disorders is especially important. Postpartum depression is a form of clinical depression that occurs after giving birth, typically within the first few weeks or months, but can last for quite a while if untreated.

Anxiety disorders are on the rise. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that approximately one-third of U.S. adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. It is the most common mental health concern. While the exact cause of this increase is not conclusive, many researchers believe it’s connected to the rise in social media and technology use, increased social comparisons, weakened meaningful relationships, and poor sleep patterns. Research on anxiety within the frum community is limited, but it’s clear that we’re not immune to these trends. Let’s differentiate between common anxiety and anxiety disorders — and explore how even those with strong emunah can be affected.

As left-wing media outlets claim that numerous Israelis have left the country in recent years, first due to the so-called threat of a “judicial revolution” and then the very real threat of Israel’s bloodthirsty enemies post-October 7, hundreds of doctors have made aliyah over the past year. The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, in collaboration with the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization, the Jewish Agency, and the Ministry of the Negev, Galil, and National Resilience, held a conference on Tuesday for doctors who made aliyah in the past year from various countries.

Israel’s Health Ministry announced on Wednesday morning that a 17-year-old resident of Jerusalem who was not vaccinated against polio has been diagnosed with the serious virus. The diagnosis was confirmed in the Health Ministry’s laboratory. The statement said that the “Health Ministry’s Jerusalem district is continuing to carry out an epidemiological investigation to identify contacts and refer them for vaccination against polio if they are unvaccinated.” “The main way to protect children from paralysis is through the inactivated polio vaccine,” the ministry stressed.