Passengers on Board Ashkelon-Tel Aviv Train Exposed to Measles

YERUSHALAYIM

The Health Ministry has notified the public that  passengers riding the train from Ashkelon to Tel Aviv University and back on December 25, departing Ashkelon at 07:29 a.m. and returning to Ashkelon at 4:00 p.m., were exposed to the measles, The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday.

The ministry urged those who were born after 1957 and didn’t receive the necessary two vaccinations to immediately have themselves checked for the disease.

The Health Ministry recorded a peak in measles cases of 948 patients in October. Since then, the number of patients has declined, with 893 in November and 194 in December as of last Wednesday.

Despite the drop in the number of cases, the ministry is pursuing its campaign to vaccinate as many people as possible.

Measles is a serious illness that can have permanent effects, including hearing loss, and is fatal for one in 1,000 children who contract it.

The MMR vaccine is 97 percent effective in preventing infection from the measles virus when the recommended two doses are received on time, according to the Health Ministry.

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