Tragedy has struck the Chareidi community as an 18-month-old baby R”L was Niftar in Jerusalem on Thursday evening. It is suspected that the infant died due to being exposed to Measles, and was unvaccinated.
A ZAKA spokesperson said they were dealing with the infant, who lived on Chayei Adam Street in the Meah Shearim neighborhood.
The child was taken by ambulance to Shaare Tzedek Hospital where she was R”L Niftar.
This is Israel’s first death from measles since 2003. The country is grappling with one of its worst measles outbreaks in decades, with over 1,200 cases reported since the beginning of 2018.
Members of the infant’s family were diagnosed with the disease on Wednesday according to sources in the Israeli media. The young girl had physical signs of the infection on her body.
People in the community spoke to the Israeli press and said that first responders from United Hatzalah and other organizations were prevented from attending to the girl because she was suspected of being infected with the disease. Zaka volunteers were sent to receive additional vaccinations, ahead of their being allowed to deal with the outcome of the infant’s death.
Measels is easily preventable if a person is vaccinated, but has spread in certain sections of the Chareidi population due to opposition to vaccinating.
Meanwhile, in Rockland County, NY, more than 40 cases have been confirmed. Two children have been hospitalized – ONE IN INTENSIVE CARE – because of the measles outbreak, and the health department is taking more precautions to make sure it doesn’t spread among students.
In Lakewood, there are three confirmed cases, and in Williamsburg there are at least 6.
The World Health Organization has reported tens of thousands of measles cases across Europe, and it is one of the leading causes of death worldwide in young children.
There have been dozens of stories published by YWN in the past few months of measles alerts issued by authorities involving Frum people who have not been vaccinated.
YWN published a story two weeks ago about a measles outbreak in New York, with 6 residents of Williamsburg and multiple residents of Rockland County confirmed to have the disease.
The Viznitz Monsey Girls School announced that any child who is not immunized, can’t return to school for 21 days. No “religious exemption” is accepted. A religious exemption does not work when there is a measles outbreak.
Three weeks ago, YWN reported about the Menahel of Breslov Mosdos in Tzefas having been infected with the measles. He was listed in critical condition at the time of the news story.
Last week, YWN published an article where MK (Yisrael Beitenu) Yulia Malinovsky on Monday, during a session of the Knesset Health Committee, blasted the chareidi public of intensifying the spread of measles in Israel because so many of the community refuse to vaccinate.
Measles is highly contagious, so anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of getting the disease.
People who are unvaccinated risk getting infected with measles and spreading it to others, and they may spread measles to people who cannot get vaccinated because they are too young or have specific health conditions.
Individuals are considered protected or immune to measles if:
• they were born before 1957
• have received two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine
• have had measles confirmed by a health care provider
• or have a lab test confirming immunity
Symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis or runny nose, and they could appear 10 to 12 days after exposure.
The virus can remain in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.
To prevent the spread of illness, health officials are advising individuals who may have been exposed and who have symptoms consistent with measles to contact their health care provider, a local clinic, or a local emergency department before going for care.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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20 Responses
Thank you YWN for spreading the alert. All children a year old or more need to be vaccinated. Now. No more excuses. No more dead Jewish children!!!!
Does anybody know the name of the child in Intensive Care? The least we can do is daven,
I have always had little patience for the anti-vaxx crowd, but with children at risk, let’s all pray that the innocent un-vaccinated children should stay safe.
Baruch Dayan HaEmes, hopefully now the Anti-Vaxxer Resha’im
will see the light…
This is only a suspicion, and Yeshiva world is trigger happy to publish a whole article based on a suspicion. Why don’t you wait till more information is available before jumping to conclusions.
Resha’im? I don’t know. Mostly misguided, I think. But, oh, those poor kids. Hashem Mishmor.
BDE. After shiva I anticipate the appropriate thing to do is prosecute the parents for child neglect, imposing a prison sentence
what is the logic behind not vaccinating
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had such a deep animosity for another jew as I do for these anti vaxxers. If you want to refuse proven medical treatment from qualified doctors and die of some horrible disease while trying chinese medicine because you’re totally loopy, that’s your choice. To cause outbreaks of diseases that have been nearly eradicated from 1st world countries because you believe in conspiracy theories, and end up KILLING other Jews is inexcusable. I have no doubt that anyone who helped spread this disease is going to have to answer for their selfishness in the next world. Your selfishness helped to kill this kid. Think about that. You should all go live in a colony by yourselves and let these diseases run rampant, but don’t bring them back to the rest of us. Imagine the terror being felt right now by parents of children are too young to vaccinate. How many babies will be exposed and defenseless because of your conspiracy theories? Shame on you. I hope if min hashomayim there have to be any more victims of these diseases that you’re helping spread, it should happen to you, and not the masses you’re killing. I know this is harsh, and may not even be posted, but this is the truth. You’re killing klal yisroel’s children with your selfishness.
” . . . The World Health Organization has reported tens of thousands of measles cases across Europe, and it is one of the leading causes of death worldwide in young children. . .”
Were they all unvaccinated? Were they all chareidi? My children and grandchildren were ALL vaccinated. And I am NOT an anti-vaxer. Nonetheless, let’s not turn this into a Chareidi issue. Let’s not make this a Chareidi vs my form of Yiddishkeit is obviously so superior to yours issue.
” . . . let’s all pray that the innocent un-vaccinated children should stay safe. ”
A far better response than “hopefully now the Anti-Vaxxer Resha’im
will see the light. . . “
Toi, you said it 100% right! I’m right on board with you. As a nation, we experienced the Exodus of Egypt, conquered wars and battles, destroyed Haman, pushing off the Greeks during Channuka, prevailed through centuries of inquisitions and harsh antisemitic attacks, tragic assimilation and intermarriage, but the one thing the Yezer Hara and Amalek are apparently finally winning at is with anti-vaaxers bringing with it stubbornness, לִפְנֵ֣י עִוֵּ֔ר לֹ֥א תִתֵּ֖ן מִכְשֹׁ֑ל, illness, murder, and denials. Remarkable, yet sad.
How did these parent feel now that their child is dead? Will they give vaccines to their other children and their friend’s children?
How would you feel as a parent if your child died from measles? How would you feel if your child got mumps and can never have children?
The studies about the MMR vaccine have been proven to be in error.
> didibrook November 2, 2018 2:16 am at 2:16 am
> This is only a suspicion,
Let’s start with the simple halacha that sofek pikuach nefesh has the same stringency as pikuach nefesh (one is required to violate Shabbat the same way for both). From there how about “raglaim le-davar” – the family has been diagnosed with measles and the baby had signs of measles. A half-dozed other web sites in English (timesofisrael, jpost, etc.) state without reservations and without ambiguity that the baby died of measles, period. And that both parents had been diagnosed with measles and that none of them had been vaccinated. They also state that the baby had not even been brought to a doctor for simple “check up”, and by the time the baby was taken to the hospital it did not even have a pulse.
> shuali
“let’s not turn this into a Chareidi issue”
The problem is that the reason given by these anti-vaccine proponents (as relevant to the topic of the name of this website) is exactly because some rabbi allegedly paskened such-and-such. And thus it is a Chareidi issue. If we in the Jewish world don’t speak up in terms of is the halacha, then who will?
The fact that this is not JUST a Hareidi issue in the sense that it largely started and spread in the non-Jewish world from (mainly) a discredited paper some 20 years ago and know-nothing Hollywood personalities is a separate issue. The relevant issue is exactly for us (if not “us” then who?) to tell these Hareidi they are simply following the goyishe nonsense that has infiltrated them exactly because in their hubris they consider themselves so immune form outside influences, when in reality the outside influences are adopted by them as if they were Jewish.
Georgeg, I wish I could respond but, Yeshiva world seems to believe that my response is too powerful that it may confuse the masses and weaken their grip over them.
“The problem is that the reason given by these anti-vaccine proponents (as relevant to the topic of the name of this website) is exactly because some rabbi allegedly paskened such-and-such. And thus it is a Chareidi issue. If we in the Jewish world don’t speak up in terms of is the halacha, then who will?”
1) If Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky paskened one need not or should not get the vaccine then this is NOT a chareidi issue; it is a matter of a machlokes ha’poskim. If he, or anyone else did NOT say so, let them say so.
2) Halachah. Exactly. I have yet to see posted here any piskei halachah from poskei America,only the p’sak from rofei America, and the opinions of many posters of what they believe the p’sak should be.
YWN, why politicize a tragedy?
While I definitely am far away from those who are against vaccinations, was it really necessary to write ‘unvaccinated’ in the headline?
In the article you can mention it, but to emphasize the fact that the child was unvaccinated takes away from the tragedy.
We need to realize that this child died because her time was up in this world, and she fulfilled her tafkid.
It’s definitely a message from Hashem that we need to improve and do teshuvah.
But walking away from this article, most people will be leaving with angry thoughts against the anti-vaxxers and not as much about the tragedy itself which only came to be מעורר us to do teshuvah.
YWN didn’t see the need to investigate wether the two precious children killed in the Beitar fire were vaccinated or not.
My point is, while emphasis on the child’s unvaccinated state is important, that shouldn’t have defined the story.
This child who was niftar was too young to have been vaccinated.
Toi – be very careful with the vitriol you use. You can be angry and disagree but cursing another Yid… V’orarecha A’or. YWN – such language should be edited. Have a civil conversation with a parent that chooses not to vaccinate – you will learn that his/her decision is well thought-out, logical, researched-based, and the result of careful evaluation of the risk/benefit ratio of vaccination. NO PARENT HAS TO SUBJECT THEIR HEALTHY CHILD TO RISKY MEDICAL INTERVENTION TO SUPPOSEDLY PROTECT SOMEONE ELSE’S CHILD. What the media isn’t telling you is that this child that was tragically niftur had many other heath issues and was not niftur do to measles. Similarly, in 3rd world countries, children die due to starvation and and other environmental causes – measles itself is not fatal. Stop the sinas chinum and start asking questions.
Joseph- Why was she too young? She was 18 months. She should have had at least one vaccination, AND due to the outbreak it is recommended to get the second one ASAP (with a waiting period between the first and second), esp. if the kid was exposed, which she was.
Why dont you post any of my comments?? Did u actually fact check and see that I am reporting false information? Are u afraid of spreading truths about MMR? Do u have connections to pharma? Please explain!