Measles is indeed here, but the flu is much less prevalent than in previous years. According to data from the Ministry of Health from the beginning of the winter (October to December), five seriously ill patients were reported to have died from flu or its complications. This is a dramatic decline compared with previous years, Yediot Achronot reported.
For the sake of comparison, in the same period last year 33 patients were reported seriously ill, 14 of whom died from the disease and its complications. Two years ago, 26 patients were reported to be in serious condition, 11 of them died, and three years ago, 18 serious patients were in serious condition, of whom five died.
Ironically, not long ago, the Ministry of Health reported a decrease in the number of people vaccinated against the disease. As of the beginning of December, about 1.4 million people were immunized against seasonal influenza, which constitutes about 16% of Israel’s population. Last year the rate of vaccinators stood at 17% of the total population.
Despite the sharp drop in the number of patients, the Health Ministry still calls on the public not to be complacent and to go get vaccinated – especially to populations at risk: children, the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases.
Influenza and its consequences have fatal consequences in cases of accompanying health problems. Each year, 20% -30% of children and 5% -10% of adults in the general population suffer from the disease. Last year, 294 severe patients were reported, with 131 deaths from the disease. This was one of the most difficult years in which the disease has claimed the lives of many patients.
According to the doctors, the recommendation to vaccinate is mainly for patients with long-term illnesses and patients with immune system damage, pregnant women and babies and children aged 6 months to 5 years.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
The flu virus varies wildly from year to year, because it is genetically unstable and mutates into different forms at a high rate, so the number of people seriously ill and the number ch”v passing away will vary. Also, since the vaccine developers don’t know from year to year which strains will be prevalent in the fall, the vaccine is sometimes a poor “fit” for whatever strains will be going around.
It’s a numbers game, and the way to beat it is to get vaccinated. That way you’ll probably be protected, and if you do get a flu virus strain that isn’t covered by that year’s vaccine, you’ll at least have a much milder case.