Two Israeli children who were hospitalized with the measles have been connected to ECMO life support machines, Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem saidon Sunday morning.
Over the weekend, a one-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital in a grave condition with respiratory distress. The child was admitted to an intensive care unit, where she was connected to an ECMO machine.
In addition, a two-year-old boy with measles was evacuated to Hadassah from the capital’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center after being diagnosed with a secondary infection with pneumococcus that caused pneumonia.
Dr. Uri Pollak, the director of Hadassah’s pediatric intensive care units, urged parents to vaccinate their children amid the measles outbreak.
“Measles is a viral disease that spreads rapidly, especially in enclosed spaces. It is a severe and dangerous illness that presents with fever, general malaise, runny nose and a rash, and it can lead to serious complications and life-threatening conditions,” Pollak said.
However, “severe illness can be prevented and lives can be saved—it’s in the hands of the parents,” he added. “The effectiveness of the vaccine is proven, and it is very important to maintain a full vaccination routine for all children in the household to prevent dangerous infection.”
Israeli health authorities in May launched an emergency vaccination campaign targeting both children and adults in areas with low immunization rates.
In 2018, an unvaccinated 18-month-old from Jerusalem died of measles, in Israel’s first fatality from the disease in 15 years. The following year, a 43-year-old Israeli flight attendant, who had received only one dose of the vaccine, died after contracting the virus during a flight.
