A five-year-old boy was hospitalized last week at Schneider Children's Medical Center after contracting measles, and his sister has since joined him, Mako reported.
The boy, who was unvaccinated, was treated in an isolated ward by a fully protected medical team.
The child had visited the hospital’s emergency department two weeks prior, where he was exposed to an infected girl. Despite medical staff offering preventive vaccination to his family and others present at the time, the child’s parents refused, Mako added.
Within two weeks of that exposure, the boy returned to the hospital showing classic measles symptoms. His condition deteriorated rapidly, and he is now in very serious condition at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. A medical source confirmed that he has been sedated and is on a ventilator.
Hours after the boy’s case became public, it was revealed that his sister has also fallen ill, likely infected by her brother. She is now hospitalized as well.
“Measles is considered one of the most contagious infectious diseases,” said Prof. Efi Bilavsky, head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Schneider.
Emphasizing the importance of timely vaccination, he added, “Preventive treatment using a live attenuated vaccine is effective if administered within 72 hours of exposure. Had the parents vaccinated the child, it is very likely this severe situation could have been avoided.”