Health officials are investigating a suspected outbreak of spotted fever, also known as spotted fever rash disease, in the Sharon area after eight children from the Emek Hefer region were taken to hospitals over the past week with high fever and a rash. Three of the cases have already been confirmed positive, and the incidents were reported in two different settlements within the Emek Hefer Regional Council.
Some of the children were hospitalized for observation and treatment at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera and Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba. Meir said four children from the Sharon area came to its emergency department with typical symptoms, two were admitted, one received a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis, and results are still pending in the other three cases. Hillel Yaffe reported four additional children, ages 5 to 6, who arrived with symptoms raising suspicion of rickettsial infection, and two of those cases tested positive.
All of the children received medical treatment and were discharged home. The matter was transferred to the Health Ministry’s regional health office for investigation. One mother whose son was hospitalized told KAN News that the symptoms were misleading and said, “I almost did not go to the ER, and it could have ended very differently. A parent who does not know the symptoms and ignores them, it can be dangerous.” She said her son had neck, head and leg pain, became very weak, stopped eating, and developed a rash all over his body, including his palms and soles. “We thought it was viral,” she said.
Some parents argued that the source of infection may have been near the kindergartens, where vegetation and grass could shelter ticks, and criticized the pace of the response. Emek Hefer Regional Council rejected those claims, saying field inspections found nothing unusual, but because of the unusual concentration of cases it ordered precautionary steps, including moving children to alternative buildings, carrying out gardening and pest-control work in the kindergarten areas, and telling parents to check children for bites after time in kindergartens and public spaces.
The Health Ministry said the cases are being handled according to procedure, that it is continuing to monitor the situation, and that it is working to reduce contagion and protect public health. It said three tick-borne fever cases were reported last week in a kindergarten in Emek Hefer, with two more reported this week, and that epidemiological investigations are being carried out for every case. The ministry also urged the public to use approved repellents and seek medical advice if fever does not pass or there is suspicion of tick exposure.
