Due to contamination in the "Bottle" spring: A boy who was hiking in Safed contracted rat-borne disease

October 28, 2021   

The Ministry of Health announced today (Thursday) that a teenager who bathed in a spring in Safed tested positive for rat-borne disease. Alarming: 751% of those who died from the coronavirus under the age of 60 were not vaccinated Employers can receive a financial incentive of up to NIS 22,250. How? Enter Ten days ago, the ministry received an initial report of suspected rat poisoning among boys who had bathed in a spring on 11th Street, known as the "11th Spring" or "the Bottle." Of the six boys who developed symptoms of the disease, one has so far tested positive. All of the boys have been released from the hospitals in good condition. An examination conducted by the Health Bureau found evidence of water contamination by a biological marker. The ministry emphasized that the spring is not under supervision, and that the Safed Municipality has been updated on the details. The typical symptoms of the disease are similar to those of the flu: fever, headaches, muscle aches. However, some patients may have impaired liver and kidney function. "The Ministry of Health, the Nature and Parks Authority, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection are continuing their efforts to monitor the northern streams. The Ministry of Health recommends that the public follow the announcements and not bathe in water sources whose water quality is not known to be normal," the ministry said in a statement.

List of polluted streams

Meanwhile, in tests for bacteria in samples from October 25 and 26, 2021, several streams in the north yielded results that deviate from the Ministry of Health recommendations (400 fecal coliforms in 100 ml) – a result indicating the presence of water contamination. In light of these results, entering the following streams may be dangerous, until the sampling results obtained are normal and stable: • Snir (Hatsbani) - from the downstream of the hydroelectric station (Gan HaZafon) to the confluence with the Jordan • Jordan - from Gesher Yosef to Gesher Arik • Jilbon - Dvora Waterfall to the confluence with the Jordan • Yehudiya - Yehudiya Waterfall • Zaki - to the Sea of ​​Galilee • Majersa - to the Sea of ​​Galilee • Meshushim - Meshushim Pool • Nahal El Al - to Nahal Samach and from there to the Sea of ​​Galilee • Banias - Kfar Szold Bridge to the confluence with the Jordan • Nahal Tzalmon - Flour Mill Sampling for Quality The water in several streams in the north is sampled once every two weeks, at fixed sampling points that represent a waterfall, pool or section of the stream, by inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority. In the following samplings, in November and December, one sample will be taken each month.