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The Ministry of Health deploys a plan to fight the whooping cough epidemic
Following the death of a toddler, another baby was admitted to hospital in Ashdod; in the last six months, the number of cases of this preventable disease has increased twelvefold
By RENEE GHERT-ZAND
19 June 2023, 11:41
The Ministry of Health has put in place a multi-pronged whooping cough vaccination plan, which will target as many unimmunized children as possible following an outbreak in Jerusalem that left one dead, a baby only ten weeks old. Another toddler is currently hospitalized in an intensive care unit.
An epidemiological study has established that neither the deceased child nor his mother had been vaccinated against this infectious disease, whose name derives from the characteristic sound of the patient's cough when he tries to swallow enough air. .
Assuta Hospital in Ashdod announced on Sunday that a four-month-old baby was cared for in its compound on June 14 after doctors who worked at a pediatric clinic diagnosed him with whooping cough. As the toddler's condition deteriorated - with difficulty breathing, low blood oxygen levels and cyanosis (an abnormal bluish discoloration of the skin) - the child was placed in the care of Assuta Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
After treatment with antibiotics and placement on non-invasive ventilation, his condition improved – but he remained very ill.
On average, one in five children under the age of two months requires hospitalization for whooping cough, and one in a hundred children will die from complications from the disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which is highly infectious. Antibiotic treatment, at the time of diagnosis, will have no significant effect on how the disease develops – hence the paramount importance of prophylactic vaccination.
The plan of the Ministry of Health includes, among other things, identifying children who have not been vaccinated, raising awareness of the need for vaccination through a campaign to distribute leaflets, keeping pediatric clinics open longer and reach unvaccinated children in schools.
In a response to a question from The Times of Israel, Health Ministry spokeswoman Shira Solomon said staff at clinics for toddlers were making every effort to identify families whose children were not born. are not vaccinated or are only partially vaccinated.
“We invite them to come as soon as possible to be vaccinated,” she said.
Due to the urgency of the situation, it is not necessary to make an appointment.
“Unvaccinated babies six months and older can come to clinics without calling first,” she said.
Solomon also noted that clinic hours in Jerusalem, the epicenter of the whooping cough outbreak, could be increased and expanded.
There were more than 200 cases of serious – and potentially fatal – whooping cough in the first six months of 2023, representing a number of cases that has increased twelvefold compared to the same period, the last year. Families living in Jerusalem's Haredi neighborhoods have been particularly hard hit — they live in homes with often crowded living spaces and these parents don't always keep their children's vaccination schedules.
...
http://actualite-israel.com/le-ministere-de-la-sante-deploie-un-plan-de-lutte-contre-l-epid-889165/
The Ministry of Health deploys a plan to fight the whooping cough epidemic
Following the death of a toddler, another baby was admitted to hospital in Ashdod; in the last six months, the number of cases of this preventable disease has increased twelvefold
By RENEE GHERT-ZAND
19 June 2023, 11:41
The Ministry of Health has put in place a multi-pronged whooping cough vaccination plan, which will target as many unimmunized children as possible following an outbreak in Jerusalem that left one dead, a baby only ten weeks old. Another toddler is currently hospitalized in an intensive care unit.
An epidemiological study has established that neither the deceased child nor his mother had been vaccinated against this infectious disease, whose name derives from the characteristic sound of the patient's cough when he tries to swallow enough air. .
Assuta Hospital in Ashdod announced on Sunday that a four-month-old baby was cared for in its compound on June 14 after doctors who worked at a pediatric clinic diagnosed him with whooping cough. As the toddler's condition deteriorated - with difficulty breathing, low blood oxygen levels and cyanosis (an abnormal bluish discoloration of the skin) - the child was placed in the care of Assuta Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
After treatment with antibiotics and placement on non-invasive ventilation, his condition improved – but he remained very ill.
On average, one in five children under the age of two months requires hospitalization for whooping cough, and one in a hundred children will die from complications from the disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which is highly infectious. Antibiotic treatment, at the time of diagnosis, will have no significant effect on how the disease develops – hence the paramount importance of prophylactic vaccination.
The plan of the Ministry of Health includes, among other things, identifying children who have not been vaccinated, raising awareness of the need for vaccination through a campaign to distribute leaflets, keeping pediatric clinics open longer and reach unvaccinated children in schools.
In a response to a question from The Times of Israel, Health Ministry spokeswoman Shira Solomon said staff at clinics for toddlers were making every effort to identify families whose children were not born. are not vaccinated or are only partially vaccinated.
“We invite them to come as soon as possible to be vaccinated,” she said.
Due to the urgency of the situation, it is not necessary to make an appointment.
“Unvaccinated babies six months and older can come to clinics without calling first,” she said.
Solomon also noted that clinic hours in Jerusalem, the epicenter of the whooping cough outbreak, could be increased and expanded.
There were more than 200 cases of serious – and potentially fatal – whooping cough in the first six months of 2023, representing a number of cases that has increased twelvefold compared to the same period, the last year. Families living in Jerusalem's Haredi neighborhoods have been particularly hard hit — they live in homes with often crowded living spaces and these parents don't always keep their children's vaccination schedules.
...
http://actualite-israel.com/le-ministere-de-la-sante-deploie-un-plan-de-lutte-contre-l-epid-889165/