Alarming Rise in Measles

Passengers on an Eilat to Tel Aviv flight on Tuesday warned that they had been exposed to measles, the latest incident in alarming increase in cases of the disease this year.

The Health Ministry advised those who were on Israir flight 6H474 to have themselves checked for measles after one passenger on the plane was diagnosed with it, The Times of Israel reported.

Since the beginning of the year 623, Israelis have come down with measles, according to Health Ministry figures, a manifold increase over a mere 34 cases in the previous year.

In an earlier incident, an 11-month-old baby with measles admitted to Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv over the weekend may have exposed over 100 others. The Health Ministry contacted over 100 parents whose children had passed through the department at the time and asked them to immediately come in for preventative treatment.

In the high-risk group are those with a weak immune systems, such as children under 12, expecting mothers, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and patients taking high-dosage steroid treatment.