Measles outbreak suspected in Kiryat Malakhi library
Named after Los Angeles, Kiryat Malakhi is the latest site in Israel where an outbreak of measles was suspected.
By HAGAY HACOHENA nurse holds a vial of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine(photo credit: REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER)
Fearing an outbreak of Measles in the southern city of Kiryat Malakhi, the Health Ministry this week asked anyone who might have been in a public library in the city on March 5 to turn to the nearest healthcare provider to inquire if they should be vaccinated against the disease.The ministry said that a patient infected with the disease was discovered at the Kiryat Malakhi public library on March 5th. The library is located on 38 Shederut Ben Gurion.In February it was reported that 3,400 Israelis were infected with measles. This last incident involving Israelis and measles took place in Warsaw, Poland.A nurse was dispatched from Israel to Poland and 35 students, including their parents and teachers, were vaccinated against measles in Warsaw in early March when one student showed signs of contracting measles from her siblings and reported her parents refused to inoculate her. In a press release the Ministry of Health stressed that the Polish Ministry of Health was informed of every step in the process and that after being vaccinated the guided tour of Poland will resume as planned. Judge Yehoram Shaked ruled recently that a divorced mother may vaccinate her daughter over the objections of her father.
Shaked wrote that vaccinating against measles is "necessary and obligatory," as measles could become "an epidemic." He compared refusing to vaccinate children to "crossing a busy road with one's eyes covered."
