A one-year-old infant who had not received routine childhood vaccinations was hospitalized in critical condition at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center after developing a rare and potentially fatal case of epiglottitis, a disease that has become exceedingly uncommon due to widespread immunization programs.

The child arrived at the hospital struggling to breathe, prompting fears that he may have swallowed a foreign object. However, doctors quickly determined that he was suffering from severe inflammation of the epiglottis, a condition most commonly caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), a bacterium targeted by routine childhood vaccines.

Medical teams rapidly diagnosed the condition and began intensive treatment, a move physicians say was critical in saving the infant’s life. He was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, where he received advanced care for several days before being transferred to the general pediatric ward as his condition improved.

Epiglottitis was once among the most feared childhood illnesses because swelling of the epiglottis can block the airway within hours, leading to suffocation. Since the introduction of the Hib vaccine into Israel’s national immunization program, cases have become extremely rare.

Doctors said the incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of routine vaccinations, noting that diseases largely eliminated in the developed world can quickly return when immunization rates decline.

The infant continues to recover and is expected to return home in the coming days, hospital officials said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)