10-week-old baby from the Jerusalem district died of whooping cough about three weeks ago. Baby developed symptoms of the disease at the age of five weeks, and was hospitalized after about two weeks.
An epidemiological investigation revealed that the baby's mother was not vaccinated during pregnancy. In recent months, there has been an outbreak ofWhooping cough, mainly in the capital region. This year, 164 cases have been diagnosed, compared with six cases in the same period last year. The vaccine provides protection against a number of diseases, including pertussis and polio.