11-Month-Old Dies from Measles Complications

The Ministry of Health reports that an unvaccinated 11-month-old infant with no underlying health issues has died today from measles complications.

About a week ago, the infant was transferred from Poriya Medical Center to Rambam Hospital and placed on ECMO.

Most of the other 11 reported deaths involved healthy, unvaccinated infants with no underlying health conditions.

The Ministry of Health reminds the public that measles is a vaccine-preventable disease. vaccination saves lives.

Vaccination recommendations

All children are advised to be vaccinated at 12 months and again at 6 years as part of the immunization schedule.

Communities with an outbreak

• Advance the second vaccine dose to 18 months.
• An extra dose for infants 6–11 months old in communities with an outbreak or if traveling there.

Current outbreak communities: Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak, Harish, Modiin Illit, Nof HaGalil, Kiryat Gat, Ashdod, Safed, Netivot, Haifa, Tiberias, the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, and Tekoa.

In these communities, vaccinations are available at family care centers, HMO nurse clinics, and special measles vaccination stations without prior appointments. The Ministry of Health advises unvaccinated individuals and parents of infants who have received only one dose (6–11 months old) to avoid large gatherings in outbreak communities due to the risk of infection.

Watch this video in Hebrew by Dr. Uri Folk, Director of Pediatric Intensive Care at Hadassah Medical Center, on measles and the measles vaccine. Credit: Ministry of Health.

Access the Ministry of Health’s “World of Data” for measles statistics.