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LETTER FROM JERUSALEM
Who did not have his two bites? The Tipat Halav (milk drop, in Hebrew) are overwhelmed. These health centers, which offer free follow-up for pregnant women and children up to the age of 6, have an important mission: the administration of compulsory vaccines. All residents, whether Israeli or foreign, can benefit from this effective network. These days, in the Baka neighborhood of West Jerusalem as elsewhere, families have to accept an unusual waiting time. We hurry, we question the nurses, we find an occupation for impatient toddlers. Come on, another cartoon!
One must be deaf, blind or withdrawn deep in the Negev desert to ignore the alarmist calls of the Israeli authorities. Measles is devastating. In 2017, 33 cases had been reported, compared with nine the previous year. This time, the alert was given in the summer. At the end of November, the balance sheet continued to grow, amounting to 2,040 patients. The largest number were in Jerusalem (874), Beit Shemesh (266), Safed (149) and Bnei Brak (97). Haifa, third city of the country? Only two cases. Rishon LeZion, fourth agglomeration? Four cases. These huge gaps have an obvious explanation. The wave is powerful where the ultra-orthodox Jewish communities are the most developed. Example: the very religious municipality of Or HaGanuz, in the north of the country, which has 600 inhabitants, lists twenty-two patients.
Island lifestyle
The vaccination rate is 97% nationwide, but in areas where it is lower, the epidemic can develop. Several explanations are advanced concerning these haredi neighborhoods. There is a fairly widespread belief among the ultra-Orthodox that their island lifestyle would preserve them from common infections. There is also a mistrust of clbadical medicine and vaccines, long maintained by some religious leaders. Not to mention the organizational problems that can arise in large families, sometimes tempted to postpone this procedure to treat several children the same day. Bad calculation: measles, highly contagious, can spread from home to home.
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