Six Children Vaccinated for Rabies at Tel Aviv Hospital Amid Outbreak
Six children were treated at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital after stray cat scratches, amid a sharp rise in rabies cases across Israel and the West Bank.
Six children, ranging from an infant under a year old to a 17-year-old adolescent, were admitted to the pediatric emergency department at the Dana-Dwek Children's Hospital, part of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), after being bitten and scratched by stray cats. All six were referred for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis.
Dr. Tali Kapua, a senior physician at the pediatric ER, noted that these were seemingly innocent encounters with stray cats that resulted in injury. The incidents occurred in public gardens and near residential buildings, in some cases while parents were present, as children attempted to pet or feed the animals. Because the cats were unknown to the families and could not be located to verify their health status, the local health bureaus directed the children to receive preventive rabies vaccines following risk assessments.
Rising Rabies Rates and Changing Trends
The cases at Ichilov unfold against the backdrop of a concerning rise in rabies cases in Israel. According to data provided by Prof. Yael Paran, an infectious disease specialist and head of the Infectious Disease Unit at Ichilov, 29 infected animals were diagnosed in 2022, 45 in 2023, 59 in 2024, and 102 in 2025. Since the beginning of 2026, nearly 120 infected animals have already been identified.
Prof. Paran pointed out a shift in the types of infected animals. While most cases in the past occurred among wildlife, recent years have seen a sharp increase in infected dogs. Furthermore, the epidemiological map has shifted, with Judea and Samaria becoming a central hub for the outbreak due to an increase in stray dogs, a growing jackal population, and a temporary shortage of wildlife and stray dog vaccines.
Fatal Risks and Prevention
Experts emphasize that once rabies symptoms appear, the disease is almost universally fatal, making timely post-exposure treatment critical. Last week, a four-year-old Palestinian boy from the village of Kafr Qafin near Harish died of rabies at Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin after being bitten by a dog weeks prior without receiving preventive care.
Dr. Michael Ettinger, chairman of the Israel Veterinary Medical Association, warned that the incident has severe implications for Israel, noting that animals cross borders freely. Health authorities urge the public to thoroughly wash any animal scratch or bite with soap and running water for 15 minutes, disinfect the wound, and immediately contact a health bureau for evaluation.
