Israel is still well ahead of the peak of flu season, but the virus is already spreading, with 47 people recently infected in an outbreak at a geriatric rehabilitation and nursing care facility in central Israel.
Most of those infected at Beit Balev Medical Center in Kfar Saba are patients receiving complex nursing care, while a small number are staff members.
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Three patients in the affected ward have died, though it remains unclear whether influenza was the primary cause of their deaths.
Following the deaths, the facility conducted proactive testing in the ward, revealing the extent of the outbreak.
According to a report from the National Center for Disease Control, 10 new cases of influenza A were detected at monitored general hospitals during the week ending Aug. 22.
Israel experienced an unusually severe flu season in 2025-2026. During that season, 189 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza died at 14 hospitals, which account for about 60% of the country’s general hospital beds.
However, health authorities have stressed that it is not known whether influenza was the primary cause of those deaths. The figures include deaths occurring within 30 days of a laboratory-confirmed influenza diagnosis. Most were among adults 75 and older.
A total of 4,526 hospitalized patients were confirmed to have influenza during the previous season, including 2,930 adults, 1,460 children and 136 pregnant women.
About 1.87 million members of Israel’s four health maintenance organizations received seasonal flu vaccinations during the 2025-2026 season, representing 19% of the country’s population.
Vaccination coverage was significantly higher among older Israelis, reaching 55% among people 65 and older. Among infants and children ages 6 months to 59 months, however, just 16% were vaccinated.
Beit Balev said this year’s seasonal influenza activity began earlier than usual, before the start of the annual vaccination campaign.
“As a network operating according to the highest medical standards and pursuing a strict, proactive medical policy to protect the health of residents and patients, comprehensive testing we conducted identified cases of influenza among elderly patients in one of the complex nursing wards,” the facility said in a statement.
“Immediately upon diagnosis, a full medical protocol was activated, including immediate treatment for patients and medical staff, alongside comprehensive preventive treatment for the remaining residents to curb the spread of the virus,” it said.