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Abstract

An outbreak of enteroviral meningitis occurred in Israel between August 2025 and May 2026. Echovirus type 17 was identified in 72 hospitalised patients, most of them infants (n = 44). Many patients (n = 45) were from densely populated Haredi (strictly Orthodox) communities. Clinical course was mild. Phylogenetic analysis suggests extensive local transmission. Echovirus 17 infections declined abruptly following the implementation of community restrictions imposed during a military conflict. This outbreak highlights the value of routine molecular enterovirus surveillance.

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/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.30.2600600
2026-07-30
2026-08-11
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.30.2600600
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Emergence of an echovirus 17 subtype causing a viral meningitis outbreak, Israel, 2025 to 2026
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Neta+S+Zuckerman&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Zuckerman Neta S</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Eyal+Nadir&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Nadir Eyal</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Rivka+Rich&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Rich Rivka</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Eli+Somekh&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Somekh Eli</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Mohamed+Asi&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Asi Mohamed</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Oshrat+Ayalon&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Ayalon Oshrat</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Orli+Megged&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Megged Orli</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Talya+Finn&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Finn Talya</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Or+Kriger&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kriger Or</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Michal+Paret&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Paret Michal</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Efrat+Dresner&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Dresner Efrat</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Tatyana+Ruderman&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Ruderman Tatyana</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Erez+S+Garty&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Garty Erez S</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Hilla+De-Leon&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">De-Leon Hilla</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Rinat+Vasserman&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Vasserman Rinat</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Leah+Weiss&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Weiss Leah</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Reut+Gabay&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Gabay Reut</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Ilana+S+Fratty&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Fratty Ilana S</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Yaniv+Lustig&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Lustig Yaniv</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Danit+Sofer&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Sofer Danit</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Merav+Weil&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Weil Merav</a></span>. Emergence of an echovirus 17 subtype causing a viral meningitis outbreak, Israel, 2025 to 2026. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2026;31(30):pii=2600600. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.30.2600600" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.30.2600600</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 15 Jul 2026;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 28 Jul 2026 </span> </p>
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.30.2600600
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.30.2600600
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