Israel reports new cases of monkeypox, measles

The Israeli Health Ministry has reported the detection of new cases of monkeypox and measles in the country.

The Ministry did not specify the exact number of new monkeypox cases, but the Israel Medical Association said on Tuesday, 9 January that there were five new cases alongside two suspected cases, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Ministry urged anyone who develops a fever and a blistering rash or has been in close contact with a person suspected of having monkeypox to contact a doctor.

Last year, only one case of monkeypox was detected in Israel, after 262 cases were reported in the country in 2022.

Regarding measles infections, the Ministry reported two new cases, of a child and an adult, adding that the infection source was not identified, and neither of the two had been abroad recently.

Measles has been infrequently reported in Israel over the past few decades, except for an unusual outbreak in March 2018 when more than 4,250 cases were detected.

In 2023, the Ministry reported 11 cases, nine of them from an outbreak of the virus in a kindergarten in the coastal city of Tel Aviv in October.

Measles, a highly contagious disease characterised by symptoms such as fever and rash, can, in severe instances, result in life-threatening complications.