According to a senior Health Ministry, hundreds of Israelis are diagnosed with swine flu weekly; adding that it appears about 35% of the total population will contract the disease. He adds that there are varying opinions regarding the vaccine that has been developed to fight the illness.

The Health Ministry is in contact with four companies producing swine flu vaccines, explaining they are not totally convinced the vaccine provides the protection claimed by manufacturers.

In a Wednesday morning Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) interview, Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman expressed his opposition to purchasing vaccines at this time. “Until the vaccines arrive, the winter will be behind us” he explained, at that at present, there are enough drugs in stock.

Dr. Itamar Gruto, who heads the ministry’s public health division, told Walla news that he is most concerned with the strain being placed on the public health system as an increasing number of Israelis are contracting the illness. He is less concerned with the severity of the illness that the number of people likely to become infected, explaining it will result in many government workers being absent from their posts and the same will hold true in the nation’s education system.

The ministry today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday/9 Av) is operating an information hotline to permit concerned citizens to call and receive responses to their questions regarding swine flu. The hotline number will be operating from 8:00am-4:00pm.

Hotline Numbers
Jerusalem district – 02-531-4847
 Tel Aviv district – 03-568-4655
Ashkelon district – 08-674-5317
Haifa district – 04-863-2995
Southern district – 08-626-3544
Central district – 08-978-8669
Northern district – 1-800-301-333

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)