An 8-month-old baby in Israel has been diagnosed with the measles amid outbreaks around the world widely blamed on the anti-vaccine movement.
CNN reported Friday that Shira Goldschmidt, the daughter of Fainy Sukenik, was diagnosed recently with the disease, which can be deadly if not caught and treated by medical professionals, especially in infants.
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Sukenik wrote on Facebook that she blamed misinformation spread by activists opposed to vaccines for the spread of the disease, which was once thought to have been eradicated in the Western world.
“It wasn’t just dots on one part of her body. They were everywhere: inside her mouth, between her fingers, in between her toes,” Sukenik said in an interview with CNN. “I’m an experienced mother, and never ever have I seen something like this. I was really scared.”
“I’m so angry and so frustrated,” she told CNN. “On Facebook, I wrote to the anti-vaxers, ‘you are hurting our kids because of your choice.’ “
Countries around the world including the U.S. have seen measles outbreaks in recent months in places such as New York, where Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) mandatory vaccination order affecting a Brooklyn neighborhood has caused controversy among some residents.
De Blasio has defended the order and has vowed to defeat legal challenges seeking to block Williamsburg residents from mandatory vaccinations.