Jews Lag Behind Arab Israelis in Child Vaccination Rates
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The Center for Disease Control of Israel’s Health Ministry has analyzed medical and health trends over the past decade and issued a report with some significant findings.
One of the most glaring pieces of data was the fact that Arabs in Israel vaccinate their children at a higher rate than do Jewish Israelis. The overall vaccination rate in Israel is high (around 70-90%, depending on the specific vaccine), but fewer Jewish children are vaccinated against hepatitis A and polio than are Arab ones. Inoculation against meningitis, diptheria, pertussis and tetanus is almost completely universal in both communities.
The lower vaccination rates among Jewish children is speculated to be a result of the prevalence of ultra-Orthodox families who do not vaccinate, as well as the growing numbers of other families who embrace a natural lifestyle that eschews vaccinations. Haaretz reports that just two weeks ago there was an outbreak of measles at a kibbutz because the children there had not been vaccinated against the disease.
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