Sourasky's isolation ward
Photo: AFP
Swine flu: 6th case diagnosed in Israel
Twenty-seven-year-old woman who returned from month-long stay in Mexico tests positive for H1N1 virus, speaks of medical ordeal
A 27-year-old woman was confirmed as the sixth Israeli to have contracted the H1N1 virus, Thursday.
The woman and her husband returned form Mexico last week. Both were later admitted to the isolation ward at the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv and have since been released.
Influenza
Zvi Zinger
Vaccination developed by Israeli company BiondVax intended to provide universal multi-season/multi-strain protection against most human influenza virus strains
"Neither of us exhibited any signs of flu, so I was sent home. My husband's physician sent him to the emergency room, because he lacked the necessary information… they took a blood sample and sent him home with no specific instruction.
"Thinking everything was fine, we met with friends and family… Two days later, my husband took a turn for the worse. We went to the ER – this time he did exhibit signs of flu – and were told to wear mask on our faces. After waiting for 30 minutes outside, with everyone gawking at us, until they found us a room in the isolation ward."
"After we were examined, we were sent home again," she continued. "They told us that my husband was sick, but not with the swine flu, and to come back only if our fever spiked. The next day I began feeling worse and spiked a fever, so we called the hospital, which sent an ambulance to get us.
"This time we were admitted in isolation, for 24 hours – the time it takes to get the results of the blood tests back. The next day frantic friends and family began calling us, telling us the media reported my husband was sick and that the hospital had contacted my brother-in-law and instructed him to bring his baby daughter in for testing – and all of this before anyone told us anything.
"A while later, one of the doctors came in and told us that my husband had the swine flu, but that I was fine. Since we were put in the same room, they took another blood sample. They gave both of us Tamiflu (the drug used to treat swine and avian flu) and said we would be isolated for a week."
Arrivals at Ben Gurion International Airport (Photo: AP)
On Sunday, she said, the hospital decided to release them both. "When we asked how – since we were to be kept isolated – they told us to arrange for someone to come in with a mask and take us home. We demanded that an ambulance take us, we didn’t want to put anyone at risk, but we were told that was impossible.
"They gave us hazmat bags, with 'radioactive' stickers on them for our things, and that's how we were led out of the ward and walked through the hospital. We were very conspicuous and people kept backing away."
'Case under advisement'
Despite the ordeal, she praised the medical staff for being attentive and for trying to lend whatever limited help they could.
Professional medical sources told Ynet that at the time the two sought medical advice, many of the Health Ministry's instruction regarding the H1N1 virus were still not in effect.
The two were not diagnose with swine flu immediately, they added, since they did not exhibit the symptoms outlined by the World Health Organization.
The Health Ministry told Ynet that it will conduct an inquiry into the case. The Sourasky Medical Center added that "the medical staff gave to couple the best medical care possible, while exercise due responsibility for the wellbeing of the other patients and hospital staff."
As for the HMOs, Maccabi Healthcare Services, whose physician treated the husband, said that "the doctor acted well and according to the care instructions for a person not exhibiting any signs of infection and referred the patient for further testing by an epidemiologist.
Meuhedet Healthcare Services, whose physician treated the woman, was unavailable for comment.
