Unvaccinated Infant Survives Life-Threatening Epiglottitis Attack at Shaare Zedek Medical Center
A one-year-old infant who had not received routine childhood vaccinations was hospitalized in critical condition at Shaare Zedek Medical Center after being diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening case of epiglottitis.
The severe swelling nearly completely blocked his airway, and doctors were forced to use an ultra-thin tube designed for premature newborns in order to save his life at the last moment.
According to medical staff, the child was infected with Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), a leading cause of the disease, which is now rare in vaccinated populations.
The emergency team initially suspected that the child had swallowed a foreign object based on information provided by his father, but further examination and endoscopic testing ruled this out.
After additional questioning, it emerged that the child had not received routine immunizations. Combined with the rapid deterioration and severe airway obstruction, doctors diagnosed epiglottitis—a condition that can quickly become fatal without immediate intervention.
Dr. Efrat Blankstein, a pediatric resident involved in the treatment, said the child arrived in critical condition with almost complete airway blockage.
“If we had waited any longer, it would have been impossible to ventilate him,” she said, adding that the case developed extremely rapidly and required immediate, high-risk airway management.
She stressed that the case is exceptionally rare and emphasized that vaccination could have prevented the illness entirely, urging parents to follow routine immunization schedules to avoid similar life-threatening situations.
