Jerusalem – More than two million Israelis are either unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated for the measles, according to a Channel 13 report.
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An outbreak of the measles has been worrying Israelis for months as it spread throughout the country, and lately also in the rest of the world. But Israeli media reports on Tuesday night exposed the severity of the situation and the difficulty in solving the crisis.
The Health Ministry claims that it has only 115,000 doses of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine available and 100,000 additional doses of the MMRV vaccine, which combines the diminished measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine with the addition of chickenpox vaccine.
Even if the two million Israelis would show up tomorrow to receive the vaccination treatment from medical professionals, the Ministry of Health would currently be unprepared to offer them the services needed, according to the numbers reported.
State Comptroller Yosef Shapira will consider examining the Health Ministry’s handling of the recent measles outbreak, according to a report released in January.
The comptroller’s office contacted infectious disease and public health experts, and is working on compiling data about past efforts regarding the measles outbreak, examining if they were sufficient.
However, no formal decision has been made so far over the next steps to take in combating the outbreak.
The ministry released a statement warning the general public about the dangers of measles, including that one out of every ten patients requires hospitalization after contracting the virus.
Nearly three percent of hospitalized patients also have encountered issues with pneumonia. According to data presented at that time, three have contracted meningitis and two measles cases resulted in fatalities.
The ministry is facing intense criticism for its “ineffective” efforts in containing the outbreak.
Critics cite the delayed start of vaccination efforts in the Jerusalem area, the city with the largest amount of unvaccinated people.
Moreover, those born between 1957 and 1977 only received one dose of the measles vaccine and are only partially protected.
For years, the ministry has also not taken action against doctors who distributed false information about vaccines, and has not worked to exhort the public to vaccinate their children. Finally, critics mentioned the lack of government support for Tipat Halav (early childhood clinics), where most infants receive their first vaccinations.
The measles outbreak has surfaced due to the failure of thousands of parents to vaccinate themselves or their children, particularly among the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) communities in Jerusalem, according to Health Ministry officials.
Community leaders and rabbis have sent mobile units to entire neighborhoods to vaccinate citizens living in the affected areas.
Several members of Knesset have reacted to the outbreak in the past.
“The antisemites in Europe once blamed the Jews for spreading the Black Plague,” Bayit Yehudi coalition head Shuli Moalem-Refaeli said. “Now, [the committee] is blaming the haredim for the measles. It is too bad that a meeting with national importance has stooped to a blame-fest.”
The Health Ministry claims that immunization rates in Israel are among the highest in the world, despite the current measles outbreak. On average, about half of the population in haredi communities are not immunized.
The Health Ministry requires children by the age of one to be vaccinated against measles and other contagious diseases, however, mostly due to negligence, parents do not follow the law.
An estimated 500 to 600 children from four schools have not been vaccinated in Pardess Hanna in the Haifa district, according to a report on Sunday in Israel Hayom. The Health Ministry has not held a significant follow-up with the communities to address the problem until last November, even though the measles outbreak has been prevalent for the past few months.
The Health Ministry has since shown their inability to contain the outbreak within Israel’s affected communities, and at the moment there have been 2,000 reported cases of Israelis who have contracted measles during the last few months, according to Israel Hayom.
Interesting fact… panic! Panic! Don’t they all die? I was told if we are not vaccinated we’re all going to die….
That gentleman is very, very pale.
Vaccination is a no-brainer. I can’t understand the mishegas of people who think its shtus.
“The antisemites in Europe once blamed the Jews for spreading the Black Plague,” Bayit Yehudi coalition head Shuli Moalem-Refaeli said. “Now, [the committee] is blaming the haredim for the measles. It is too bad that a meeting with national importance has stooped to a blame-fest.”……. But this time it is NOT a blood libel, but our fault. If a non Jew loses his son from measles that had its source in the Frum community, might he shoot up a shul? R’L!