The rate of unvaccinated children is reaching a peak in Israel, resulting in outbreaks of diseases previously unknown to the medical world. A five-week-old infant died of whooping cough last week, and a child contracted tetanus—both were not protected by the routine vaccinations provided by Tipat Halav. Vaccinations are especially critical among the child population because they are considered the first link in the chain of infection: toddlers infect their parents and siblings, who then infect their friends, colleagues at work, and others in both near and far environments.
What do the vaccines given in Israel protect against, when are they administered, and how long does the immunity last? The polio virus belongs to the family of enteroviruses. Although most people infected with the virus experience mild and transient illness characterized by fever, headaches, sore throat, vomiting, and diarrhea, about 2% of those infected will develop the disease and suffer from muscle paralysis, which often does not resolve. Following the introduction of the vaccine in 1957, the incidence of the disease significantly decreased.
Since 1989, there have been no cases of . Before the Hib vaccine was developed, the Haemophilus influenzae bacterium was one of the main causes of pneumonia, blood infections, and meningitis in infants and children. Since the vaccine was introduced in December 1987, infection rates have dropped by 98%.
Today, the disease is almost never seen in the medical world, a.
