A ten-week-old infant from Jerusalem passed away from whooping cough about three weeks ago. According to the Health Ministry, the baby developed symptoms of the disease at five weeks old and was hospitalized two weeks later. The baby’s mother wasn’t vaccinated during pregnancy. The Health Ministry’s recommendation is that pregnant women be vaccinated against the disease in their third trimester. In a Health Ministry notice about the case to the health funds, it stated that starting in February “cases of pertussis (whooping cough) among babies and toddlers have been reported and the number is on the rise. We are now experiencing a pertussis outbreak in the Jerusalem District.” According to the ministry’s statement, at least 215 cases of pertussis were reported to the Health Ministry since January – of which 183 were in the Jerusalem District – and dozens of patients were hospitalized with the disease. There were only 17 cases in the same time period in 2022. “The vast majority of patients in the Jerusalem District are concentrated in Chareidi neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, and Beitar Illit – in a Chareidi population characterized by delayed and low vaccination rates.” Out of the 183 patients with whooping cough in the Jerusalem district, 82 are babies under a year old and 82% are less than six months. Most of the patients are babies who are not registered in Tipat Chalav (well-baby clinics) branches and have not been vaccinated against the disease. The Health Ministry emphasized that the “מחומשת” vaccine administered to babies beginning at the age of six weeks provides protection against a number of diseases, including whooping cough and polio. “Also, it is important that nurses be vigilant about the issue and contact a family doctor/pediatrician in any case where whooping couch morbidity is suspected,” the office warned. The Ministry also recommends that pregnant women in their third trimester get a whooping cough vaccine to protect their children and emphasized the importance of routine vaccinations against infectious diseases, some of which can cause severe complications and death. “Adherence to routine vaccinations is important in order to prevent outbreaks of disease among children and their environment,” the Ministry stated. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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