Meningitis Outbreak In Bnei Brak

A number of children from a kindergarten in the haredi city of Bnei Brak have been diagnosed with meningitis. They are hospitalized in Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer and Schneider Children’s Hospital. All are listed in serious condition.

Yeshiva World reports:

After two children in Bnei Brak have been diagnosed with an aggressive and potentially deadly bacteria, there are growing fears of its spread in the Torah city. A number of children from the same kindergarten have been diagnosed with the same infection and they have been admitted to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer and Schneider Children’s Hospital, listed in serious condition.

Health Ministry officials are signaling there is no outbreak, seeking to prevent the spread of panic, adding there are simply two cases of meningitis, nothing more. The two infected children attend a facility that has 180 children, and the remainder of the children is receiving prophylactic therapy.

After doctors feared of the particularly aggressive bacteria the decision was made to notify Health Ministry officials, who continue to monitor the case as well as treating the other children to avoid a spread of the illness. Health officials have also alerted EMS responders in the city to be particularly alert to signs and symptoms that may signal additional cases of the bacteria in other patients.

[Hat Tip: Seymour.]

Comments

[Jef]

I wish them all a refuah shelema.

As soon as you know some of the children's Hebrew names, please post them so we may say tehillim for them.

[ah-pee-chorus]

As soon as you know some of the children's Hebrew names, please post them so we may say tehillim for them.

Posted by: Jef

first of all, tehillim accomplishes nothing. second, even if it did work and you said some with these kids in mind would god not listen if you didnt know their names? third, if god wanted them to get sick he must have had a reason. who are you to ask to make them well?
fourth, if this is confined to bnei brak it must be a sign from hashem that he despises charedim and their avoidance of the army. i call on ALL yeshivas to immediately close their doors and instruct all talmidim to register for the IDF. fifth, this is a sign from god that he hates having the ignorant charedi litzman as the health minister. if he fears hashem he should resign immediately.

despite the above rhetoric i hope for a complete recovery for these poor kids.

[Jef]

first of all, tehillim accomplishes nothing.

... in your opinion.

[David]

Were they vaccinated?

[Garnel Ironheart]

Refuah sheleimah

Vaccination doesn't always help. There are multiple strains of meningitis-causing bacteria that aren't covered by any existing vaccines.

[seymour]

interesting Torah can protect them from missile but not bacteria so Torah is not fool prove

[Eugene]

http://www.news12.com/articleDetail.jsp?articleId=343338&position=1&news_type=news

(11/30/12) BROOKLYN - The city's Health Department is urging some Brooklyn men to get a meningitis vaccine.

According to health officials, all men who have had intimate contact with other men living in Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, Bushwick, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, East New York, Prospect Heights or Williamsburg since Sept. 1 should get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The health alert comes after 11 cases of meningitis were reported in the borough over the past year.

[mimi]

Vaccination offers excellent protection but not 100 percent. Bnei Brak has an overall vaccination rate of 60 percent, too low to offer herd immunity.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/firm-that-flunked-vaccine-program-to-stay-in-schools-1.369311

[pp]

if you did not get vaccinated, meningitis is cause by dirt on surfaces .

....' meningitis outbreak '....where did you hear that ? only in religious communities .

haredi or hassidim , religious ppl , whatever you want to call them { it really does not matter , you can put them all in the same bag } do not clean surfaces with anti bacterial or disinfectant agents - not even with reg soap . dirt keeps building up ..... children are in daily contact with those surfaces . they better clean for the sake of their children .

[pp]

@ ah-pee-chorus ,
litzman should send letters to the numerous idle 'rabbis' of bnei brak urging them to have those potential worthless kids to get vaccinated and to command janitors to clean bathrooms , classes ,corridors.... on a reg basis with disinfectant agents . and to send gov rep to their homes , followed by trucks equipped with heavy duty desinfectant material to spray their homes , especially bathrooms to end diseases caused by filth .

[A. Nuran]

Jef, there have been clinical studies on the efficacy of prayer as therapy. The results were conclusive: It didn't do diddly squat. When you have some real, statistically valid, scientifically sound evidence that it accomplishes anything come back.

The burden of proof is on the person making ridiculous claims. That would be you.

[Crusty]

Mengingitis is a term used for any infrection of the meninges- the area around the brain. These children seem to have disease caused by neisseria meningitidis- a bug that can infect the meninges, as well as the blood or spinal fluid. Neisseria meningitidis is often lethal. I don't think the vaccine one of the usual immunizations- it is offered to anyone who has been in close personal contact with someone diagnosed with neisseria meningitidis. If my child was in this class he would be the first one on line for the shot.

[mimi]

There is a vaccine for this form of meningitis, safe for children BUUTTT it's fairly new, and you are right, not common for that age group yet.

All adolescents are urged to get the vaccine before college or military service.

Good luck to these children.