Alarming: Severe liver disease spreading in Israel
Many parents choose not to vaccinate their children, especially in Jerusalem and the south of the country.
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Due to the decrease in recent years in the number of parents who choose to vaccinate their children, the Ministry of Health's data indicate a significant increase in the rate of morbidity during last year in hepatitis types A, B and C. These are viral hepatitis diseases and they are spreading rapidly in Israel. The data shows that the Jerusalem area and the south are most affected.
Viral hepatitis A is transmitted from person to person through contaminated food or water. Hepatitis B is transmitted through bodily fluids such as blood and sexual intercourse. There is an effective vaccine against both that is included in the children's immunization routine in Israel. Hepatitis C is transmitted through body fluids, usually through exposure to infected blood. Rarer liver infections are type D and E.
The increase in infection rates is primarily due to a refusal to be vaccinated in Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem, and the southern regions of the country, where routine vaccination rates are also low.
The Ministry of Health responded: "To boost immunization coverage, the District Health Bureau is implementing various measures to ensure the hepatitis A vaccine is available to those unvaccinated and to administer the second dose to those who missed it."