Influenza infections in Israel are continuing to rise at a rapid and worrying pace, according to data released Wednesday by the National Center for Disease Control.
The report showed a continued increase in flu activity both among hospitalized patients and in the wider community. Last week, 484 new positive flu cases were recorded among hospitalized patients. Fourteen patients with influenza are currently being treated in intensive care units, including five children. Health officials noted that the data do not clarify how many of those patients had underlying medical conditions or other reasons for intensive care admission.
An increase in flu cases has also been reported in community clinics. During the past week, visits to Maccabi Healthcare Services clinics for flu-like illness continued to rise, reaching the threshold defined as very high intensity for the first time this season. Data from Clalit Health Services showed a similar trend.
The Health Ministry said Tuesday night it is recommending that people in high-risk groups, including those with chronic illnesses and adults over 65, consider wearing masks in enclosed spaces and at large gatherings. The ministry also recommended mask use for medical staff and for visitors to nursing homes and geriatric institutions.
In the past three weeks, four children have died from influenza. Three of the children were not vaccinated, and one had significant underlying medical conditions, the ministry said.
Since the start of the flu season, a total of 861 children has been hospitalized with flu, including 41 who required intensive care. Among adults, 1,280 patients have been hospitalized with influenza since the beginning of the season, with 45 treated in intensive care units.
More contagious
A more contagious strain of seasonal influenza is driving an unusually early and steep rise in flu cases in Israel this year, according to health officials and hospital physicians. Influenza is a viral respiratory illness with three main types — A, B and C — with type A responsible for most seasonal cases. Officials say the current surge is linked to a new subvariant of flu A, H3N2 subtype K, which has spread earlier than expected in Israel and in many other countries.
Prof. Galia Grisaru, head of pediatric infectious diseases at Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital at Ichilov Medical Center, said the virus has undergone a relatively small genetic change, leaving much of the population without natural immunity. The strain is more contagious than those seen in recent seasons, she said, though recent studies show the current flu vaccine provides protection. Despite the season nearing its peak, she urged the public to get vaccinated, warning that vaccine supplies can run out during severe seasons.
Prof. Jacob Ablin, head of Internal Medicine Ward at Ichilov, said the flu season began about four weeks earlier than usual, filling emergency rooms and internal medicine wards with patients suffering from fever and respiratory symptoms. Most hospitalized patients are older adults with underlying conditions, he said, who can deteriorate rapidly when infected.
Hospitals are already under heavy strain from winter illnesses, including measles, RSV and COVID-19, Ablin said, adding that internal medicine wards lack sufficient beds to absorb large seasonal waves, leaving patients waiting in emergency rooms and hospital corridors.
Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, and should not be dismissed as a mild illness, Israeli pediatric specialists said.
'Not something you skip over'
“Unlike the common cold, influenza is a severe disease. It’s not something you just skip over,” said Prof. Ronit Lubetzky, head of the pediatric department at Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital at Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv. She said pneumonia is the most common complication of flu, though more serious outcomes can occur.
Lubetzky stressed that while the flu vaccine does not provide complete protection, it significantly reduces the severity of illness. Vaccine effectiveness is estimated at 50% to 60%, she said, but vaccinated patients who become infected are typically much less ill. Among children, studies show the vaccine is even more effective at preventing severe disease.
Most children hospitalized with influenza at Ichilov are unvaccinated, Lubetzky said, attributing that in part to poor public perception of the flu shot. “We rely on the science, and it shows vaccines help,” she said, adding that many parents later regret not vaccinating their children. She emphasized that the flu vaccine does not cause the illness.
Prof. Galia Grisaru, head of pediatric infectious diseases at the hospital, said vaccine opposition ranges from ideological resistance to vaccine hesitancy among people who recognize the benefits but remain fearful. She said the latter group can often be reached through discussion.
Grisaru also warned that growing vaccine misinformation in the United States, including statements by senior officials, is having a global impact. “What happens in the U.S. doesn’t stay there,” she said, calling the trend damaging and noting growing concern among American experts following recent decisions by the country’s vaccine advisory bodies.