Five children from Bnei Brak have recently been diagnosed with a potentially fatal bacteria, Yisrael Hayom reports. According to the report, an infant is admitted to the Schneider Children’s Hospital in serious condition, connected to a respirator after being diagnosed with a difficult strain of the meningococcal bacteria. The report adds a relative of the baby was hospitalized a month ago with a similar infection. During the past seven weeks, officials have received reports of an additional three cases involving babies in the Torah city.

The Ministry of Health has issued an alert and has learned of others who are infected but apparently from a different bacterial infection from the five listed above. The experts feel the additional cases are not connected to the five.

It is reported that in the cases mentioned above, prophylactic antibiotic therapy was prescribed for persons who were in contact with the victims. Officials admit that at present they do not have proof that one was infected from another but have decided to move ahead with the prophylactic treatment as a precautionary move.

The first case was documented about two months ago involving a child almost two months old who was admitted to Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital with meningitis. The child was diagnosed with meningococcus B. he was admitted to an intensive care unit and Baruch Hashem recuperated. Family members received prophylactic antibiotics.

Some 2.5 weeks later, a 6-year-old boy from the Satmar community was admitted to Sheba Medical Center. His condition was serious, also diagnosed with meningococcus. The following day, a six-year-old from Bnei Brak was admitted with the same diagnosis.

The latest cases joined last week involving a six-month-old boy and his ten-month-old relative.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)