Measles Outbreak in Israel: Unvaccinated Toddler Dies 

Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed Wednesday that a two-year-old boy who had been battling measles for several weeks has died at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. The child, who had not been vaccinated, had been connected to an ECMO machine after being transferred in critical condition from Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

Hospital officials said the toddler’s condition was complicated by a secondary streptococcal infection, leading to severe pneumonia. “Despite prolonged efforts by the medical team, the two-year-old passed away due to measles complications,” the hospital stated. “Sadly, this morning the intensive care unit’s doctors had to pronounce his death following multi-organ failure.”

A one-year-old girl, also unvaccinated, remains in critical condition in the pediatric intensive care unit at Hadassah, still connected to ECMO.

Since the start of the measles outbreak in Israel around three months ago, 503 cases have been diagnosed, with 187 currently active. Most recent cases have been reported in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh. The Health Ministry noted that the majority of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated children, with 81% of all cases being children — most without any measles immunization.

Twelve children under the age of six are currently hospitalized, three in intensive care, including one on ECMO. The ministry called on parents to ensure their children receive all routine vaccinations, especially against measles.