Kan-11 journalist Katie Dor provided a detailed report indicating a significant rise in the incidence of influenza in Israel. This information, which was published on the evening of February 21, came from no less reputable source than the esteemed Center for Disease Control. Not only has the incidence of flu shown a sharp increase, but there has also been a noticeable rise in the number of hospitalizations due to pneumonia, which is a complication resulting from the prevalent virus.
Particularly concerning to medical professionals is the spread of influenza among the young population. It is a distressing situation with several children currently receiving treatment in intensive care units across the country. Among these are a six-month-old girl at the Rambam hospital in Haifa, a 2.5-year-old child at Hillel Yafa in Hadera, and a 6-year-old girl at the Schneider hospital in Petah Tikva. Katie Dor explicitly pointed out that every children’s department in all hospitals, without exception, are tending to young patients suffering from complications associated with the influenza virus.
The culprit causing this year’s seasonal incidence is strain A of the virus. It is a particularly vicious strain, causing severe symptoms and a difficult course of the disease, especially among vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly.
Simultaneously, Katie Dore made it clear that the emergency departments of hospitals are under immense pressure. The high workload has forced hospitals to request that the Magen David Adom ambulance service refrain from delivering new patients to their already overwhelmed departments. A poignant example of this situation occurred this week in the emergency department of the Beilinson hospital.
