Over 100 Israelis flocked to emergency rooms at several hospitals in northern Israel overnight Wednesday due to fears of having contracted the rare brain-eating amoeba [Naegleria fowleri] in the Kinneret. Panic spread on Wednesday after the Health Ministry stated that a ten-year-old boy who is critically ill with the brain-eating amoeba likely contracted the infection at a water park at Gai Beach in Tiveria. The boy, who is currently sedated and ventilated in the PICU at Ziv Hospital, was at the water park three weeks ago. Shortly beforehand, a 25-year-old man who was at the same water park died only days after being diagnosed with encephalitis caused by the brain-eating amoeba.

A five-week-old infant from the Jerusalem area whose mother refused to get vaccinated for whooping cough during pregnancy died of the disease about a week ago. Two days later, a seven-year-old girl from Netanya, whose parents refused to vaccinate her against tetanus, was hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit at Laniado Hospital after contracting the serious and excruciatingly painful disease. Ynet reported that the lowest vaccination rates against whooping cough are found almost exclusively in Jerusalem and in religious and Chareidi communities outside the capital. The report quoted Dr. Maurit Beeri, a pediatrician and the director of ALYN Rehabilitation Hospital for Children and Youth, who slammed parents who neglect their children by refusing to vaccinate them.

An outbreak of West Nile fever in central Israel has led to four deaths and a suspected fifth death that is under a Health Ministry investigation. In the past month, 48 people were diagnosed with the disease of whom 36 were hospitalized and five ventilated. All the patients are from central Israel. West Nile fever is an infection by the West Nile virus, which is spread by mosquitoes. In about 80% of infections, people have few or no symptoms but about 20% of people develop flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, vomiting, or a rash. In less than 1% of people, mainly older people or those with health issues, the neurological system is affected and severe disease results with symptoms similar to those seen in meningitis or acute encephalitis.

Officials in central Oregon this week reported a case of bubonic plague in a resident who likely got the disease from a sick pet cat. The infected resident and the resident’s close contacts have all been provided medication, public health officials say, and people in the community are not believed to be at risk. The […]

The Israeli branch of the Kimberly Clark company has announced a recall of Huggies unscented baby wipes following the discovery of an infection in its factory. The notice says not to use the infected batch of Huggies unscented wipes, batch number 2/144955/21. The company added that out of an abundance of caution, customers should also not use the batches ending in 1896, 1911, 1915, 1919, 1926, 1940, 1949, and 1956. The wipes can be returned for a refund. The company is working with the Health Ministry to solve the issue. https://x.com/lwrbr/status/1704815698701062484?s=20 (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

After cases of whooping cough in Israel doubled in the past three months, the Health Ministry recently issued new guidelines for Kupot Cholim and hospitals, stressing the need to urge vaccination among infants and pregnant women. According to data published by the ministry, there were 615 cases of whooping cough in Israel from January to July 2023, compared to only 18 cases in the same period last year. Kan News reported that the Health Ministry is recommending that every person over the age of 18 receive at least one dose of the pertussis vaccine. The Health Ministry’s message to the Kupot Cholim stated: “Pregnant women should be encouraged to vaccinate against whooping cough between weeks 27-36 of their pregnancy.

The Leyada High School (Hebrew University secondary school) in Jerusalem made a decision on Sunday to hold 12th-grade classes on Zoom on Monday after dozens of students were diagnosed with COVID, Walla News reported on Sunday. At this point, the Education Ministry is not aware of similar outbreaks in other schools. The report comes after Israel became the first country in the world to report on the new BA.2.86 COVID variant, which has been dubbed “Pirola.” The variant, which contains numerous previously unseen mutations, was discovered by the Health Ministry’s lab in Sheba Medical Center.

Israel’s Health Ministry on Wednesday warned of a possible outbreak of whooping cough at a day camp in northern Israel. A child at a camp on the yishuv of Klil was diagnosed with pertussis on Sunday. The Health Ministry immediately began an epidemiological investigation in which it emerged that the child was not vaccinated against the disease. About 30 people had close contact with the child. The Health Ministry’s Epidemiological Department directed the management of the summer camp to contact the children’s parents to warn them about the exposure to a pertussis patient. The ministry also sent the parents information about contacting their attending physician for preventive treatment.

A four-month-old baby with whooping cough was hospitalized in critical condition in the pediatric intensive care unit at Assuta Ashdod Hospital last week. The baby was suffering from severe coughing and breathing difficulties – to the point of turning blue – before being hospitalized on Wednesday. Since then, his breathing issues have improved but he is still in the PICU due to his severe cough. There has been an increase in cases of whooping cough in babies and toddlers in Israel since February. Last month, a ten-week-old infant from Jerusalem passed away from the disease. The hospital issued a statement emphasizing that vaccination of the mother during pregnancy for whooping cough would have prevented the current situation. Dr.

Meidan (Mordechai) Baruch-Keller, z’l, 16, who was hospitalized last week after suffering serious lung damage due to vaping passed away on Shabbos morning. A statement from Schneider Hospital said: “It is with great sadness that we update you on the death of the 16-year-old boy who was treated in the cardiac intensive care unit at the Schneider Center and connected to an ECMO machine due to the collapse of his lungs.