An El Al stewardess has died, four months after she was hospitalised after contracting measles while working on a New York to Tel Aviv flight.

Rotem Amitai, 43, was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis, a particular virulent strain of measles, in April, weeks after catching the disease.

The mother-of-three is the third Israeli to die from the disease in the last year. An eighteen-month-old baby and an 82-year-old woman died in late 2018.

A ten-year old boy is currently in hospital in a coma after contracting the disease.

Despite Israel’s high rate of vaccination, the country has seen more than 4,000 cases reported in the past year, particularly among Strictly Orthodox communities where the inoculation rate is often lower than the national average.

The Strictly Orthodox Jewish population of New York has been dealing with a measles outbreak of its own.

Before this outbreak, Israel had not had a measles death in 15 years.

A blood test from Ms Amitai revealed that she had only had one vaccination injection for measles, rather than the two recommended. The Israeli airline immediately instructed more than 250 of its flight crew to receive a full set of inoculation injections.

In a statement in response to the death of Ms Amitai, El Al said it “shared the family’s deep sorrow” at her passing.

They confirmed that “once the case became known, the company acted to vaccinate air crews” and said El Al would “continue to act on the matter in accordance with the health ministry’s guidelines.”