[ad_1]
A sign warning people about measles in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg, two days after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn in response to a measles epidemic, was seen in New York, United States. April 11, 2019.
(photo credit: SHANNON STAPLETON / REUTERS)
Last week, an El Al air hostess and a 10-year-old boy fell into a coma because of measles and are sadly suspected of having potentially suffered irreversible brain damage.
A father entered the nursery of a Tel Aviv maternity ward, exposing all newborns – too young to be vaccinated – to measles. This comes after several similar cases in other hospitals.
As of April 18, there were 3,964 cases of measles in Israel, according to the website of the Ministry of Health.
An estimated 45,000 Israeli children have not been vaccinated against measles and two million other partially vaccinated Israelis, which means they have not received the second dose.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Health is not doing what it takes to resolve this national crisis.
The Ministry of Health has not even declared the situation of emergency or crisis. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines an epidemic as having three or more cases, while Israel has more than 1,000 cases. And the CDC, for its part, says that Israel is experiencing an epidemic. Some Jewish communities in the United States are exposed to measles after residents travel to Israel and return home.
The Ministry of Health is making especially worrying statements warning the public of the dangers of measles, especially that it is the most contagious infectious disease, that one in 10 patients must be hospitalized after the 39 have contracted and that two Israelis have died in this epidemic.
In April alone, the ministry released 15 press releases on sites where people were exposed to measles.
Although he needs at least two million vaccines, the department only counts about 215,000, divided between the RRO – vaccination against measles, mumps, and the rubella – and the RROV – which adds chickenpox (varicella) to the mix.
The Ministry of Health should take steps to end this crisis without losing more lives.
First, the Ministry of Health should declare a national emergency and ask the Knesset to urgently transfer the necessary funds to deal with it. Deputy Minister of Health Yaacov Litzman and the chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee, the Deputy Minister of Health and the Chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee remain key players, until 39 that a new Knesset and a new government be sworn in. They should have a keen sense of urgency the community has been hit the hardest.
Then, the Ministry of Health must order the doses of vaccine that are missing. It is absolutely unacceptable to be at least 1,830,000 doses (2 million, plus 45,000 unvaccinated children, minus 215,000 available) during an outbreak that affects the entire country.
A considerable effort of public education must be made, focusing on two areas.
First, the haredi community. The city with the most measles cases is Jerusalem, with more than 1,300 people. The capital may have a heterogeneous population, but the municipalities at the top of the measles ranking are the haredi bastions Beit Shemesh, Betar Illit, Bnei Brak, Safed, Modi'in Illit and Tiberias. All these cities – with the exception of Safed and Tiberias – exceed the recommended vaccination rate, but an effort must be made to accurately identify the communities where the virus has spread.
The second is for people born in Israel between 1957 and 1977, when a second dose of measles vaccine was not widely administered.
In addition, information on immunization practices from as many countries as possible should be made public, as Israel is home to many immigrants. In the United States, a second dose was not routinely administered before 1989. Anyone born in the United States prior to this date should consult his or her immunization record.
When the new Knesset is sworn in on April 30, it should first pbad a law banning unvaccinated students and teachers and teachers in educational institutions during an epidemic and punishing parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. The bill had been proposed by the old Knesset and had been adopted on first reading with the support of all political parties and without opposition. The new Knesset must work together, even before the constitution of a coalition, to urgently take this necessary step.
The Ministry of Health and the Knesset have the power to save lives by preventing many more people from contracting measles. They must go fast.
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $ 5 and enhance your experience with an ad-free website and exclusive content. Click here >>
[ad_2]
Source link
