Since the first case was diagnosed in April, when Moshav Geulim resident Tomer Vajim was confirmed to have the illness, 1,719 Israelis have actually been verified through laboratory testing as having swine flu.
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Twenty-two serious cases of swine flu have been recorded here, including 11 patients who are in serious condition in intensive care hospital units.
A 44-year-old Tel Aviv man who had been hospitalized with swine flu at Ichilov Hospital and then recovered, died Friday night of complications from a bacterial inflection. The hospital stressed that the patient had not died of swine flu. The Health Ministry characterized the case as one in which the patient "recovered from the flu" but was known to social welfare authorities and suffered from risk factors predating his hospital visit.
He was admitted to the intensive care unit at Ichilov after developing complications from pneumonia. Two and a half weeks ago he was formally diagnosed with swine flu. After a week and a half, and after he was weaned off a respirator, his condition improved and he was found to have recovered from his illness. Six days ago, however, his condition again deteriorated as he had contracted a bacterial infection during his hospitalization and he was again admitted to intensive care, where he died over the weekend.
Last week the first swine flu death in Israel was recorded when Shimon Azran, 35, of Eilat died at the city's Yoseftal Medical Center.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry will continue to pursue contacts this week with pharmaceutical companies to buy swine flu vaccine for the entire Israeli population, following a decision to that effect last week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Over the weekend, after a U.S. study showed that pregnant women were at increased risk of complications from swine flu, the World Health Organization instructed health authorities around the world to administer the flu medication Tamiflu to pregnant women with respiratory problems within 48 hours of flu symptoms - without waiting for laboratory test results.
As the virus spreads in the Middle East, authorities reported two swine flu deaths, bringing the total in the region to eight, with half of the deaths being in Saudi Arabia. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported yesterday that a man suffering from advanced lymph gland cancer, which likely weakened his immune system, succumbed to swine flu. Local media reported he actually died Thursday, and subsequent tests revealed swine flu was the cause.
The Gulf emirate of Qatar also reported is first swine flu death when an obese 36-year-old died after being admitted to the hospital with acute pneumonia, according to a report in the state news agency. The man had just traveled from Dubai, where he had visited two other hospitals.
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