Two more suspected cases of polio have been discovered in towns not far from Or Akiva, where the two first cases were diagnosed last week.
The Health Ministry identified the two new victims as a 26-year-old Hadera woman, with relatively mild symptoms, and an 11-year-old boy from Givat Olga, who was admitted to the hospital with mild paralysis.
The woman, who works in Or Akiva, was apparently vaccinated against polio as a child.
The two first victims, who live in Or Akiva, were a 26-year-old teacher and a 10-week-old baby. They are still in the intensive-care unit of the Hillel Yoffe Hospital in Hadera and are said to be almost completely paralyzed.
Doctors are concerned at the lack of progress in their condition.
Meanwhile, health authorities have now completed a mass vaccination of all 5,000 Or Akiva residents. They believe a sewage farm north of the town may be responsible for the outbreak.
Polio is a crippling disease that most often strikes children. The outbreak in Israel has triggered concern, because the disease has been largely eradicated worldwide, thanks to the effectiveness of various vaccines.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
