Magen David Adom responded to three suspected cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Sunday. Two of the infants were found in their cribs not breathing and without a pulse.
The first case occurred in a daycare center in Tel Aviv where an eight-month old baby was found in his crib without a pulse and not breathing. Paramedics began resuscitation efforts during the evacuation to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.
An eighteen-month old girl from Tira and another baby in a daycare center in Pardes Hanna were also found dead.
About 45 babies die each year in Israel from SIDS. Forty-five percent of SIDS-related deaths occur to infants under the age of six months, and 50% of deaths occur during the winter months, from January to March.
Between 75-80% of SIDS cases have at least one parent who smokes.
SIDS usually occurs while a child sleeps. Infants who sleep on their stomachs or sides are considered to have a higher risk of dying of SIDS than infants who sleep on their backs, as they have greater difficulty breathing while sleeping in those positions. Breastfeeding is shown to reduce the chance of SIDS, and giving the child a pacifier may help as well.