A 15-month-old toddler died from measles on Thursday after losing consciousness at his home in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim.

He was resusicated by United Hatzlalah paramedics and rushed to Hadassah Har Hatzofim Hospital in critical condition.

Shortly later, the Health Ministry announced his death, stating:  “An unvaccinated toddler died today from measles. This is the fifth death since the start of the outbreak. Three have died in the past week—all under the age of two and a half.”

 Hatzalah volunteers Dovid Levy and Pini Weiss recounted, “When we arrived at the scene, we found a 15-month-old toddler suffering from measles. He was not breathing and had no pulse. According to his family, he had not woken up from his sleep. Together with additional MDA paramedics and EMTs, we immediately began advanced resuscitation efforts, including chest compressions and ventilation. He was evacuated in critical condition by an MDA intensive care unit, with resuscitation ongoing, to the trauma room at Hadassah Har Hatzofim Hospital in Jerusalem.”

On Thursday morning, Hadassah Medical Center reported that an unvaccinated 11-month-old from Jerusalem passed away on Rosh Hashanah from measles complications, the fourth death since the beginning of the outbreak.

The baby was evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in critical condition about two months ago after contracting measles and suffering severe breathing issues. She was hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit and connected to an ECMO machine.

The medical staff fought for her life for weeks but the secondary illnesses she suffered as a result of the measles led to the collapse of her body’s systems. She passed away on the first day of Rosh Hashanah.

Earlier this week, the Health Ministry announced the death of an unvaccinated toddler from Jerusalem, the third death since the beginning of the outbreak.

As of Monday, there are 24 measles patients being treated in hospitals, including seven children in intensive care. The majority of patients are young unvaccinated children.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)