2 more swine flu patients die
Two men, aged 67 and 76, suffering of serious illnesses die after contracting H1N1 virus. Health Ministry says swine flu can't be ruled out as cause of death, bringing death toll from flu in Israel to over nine
The H1N1 continues to claim victims: Two men, aged 67 and 76, died at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva on Monday, after being infected with swine flu.
The 67-year-old patient was hospitalized in the intensive care unit in serious condition last week, and the hospital reported he suffered from a severe illness.
The Health Ministry said it could neither be determined, nor ruled out that the deaths were caused by swine flue, and the two cases were added to the toll of people killed by the virus in Israel, bringing the number up to over nine.
Last week, the Health Ministry retracted its statement that a 40-year-old man died from the flu. He was initially added to the H1N1 death toll, but an autopsy conducted several hours later revealed that the flu did not cause his death.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry continues to make preparations for this winter, when a serious flu outbreak is expected to take place.
On Sunday it was made public that the Health Ministry's Emergency Unit had instructed hospitals to prepare for 14,000 deaths from swine flu complications, an equal number of admissions at the peak of the outbreak, and some 1.8 million visits to local HMOs.
According to the scenario, only 5% of people ill with swine flu will arrive at hospitals.
On Saturday, the Health Ministry signed an agreement on to purchase H1N1 vaccines from Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, about a week after it struck a similar NIS 7 million ($1.85 million) deal with French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur.
