The number of people hospitalized across the country due to the increase in influenza and respiratory illnesses is increasing, and today (Sunday) Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva announced that following a complication of the disease, a 40-year-old woman died in the hospital.
In Soroka, approximately 40 patients are hospitalized with problems resulting from a viral respiratory illness, and two are hospitalized in the internal intensive care unit in serious condition. A man in his 50s who is connected to an ACME device, and another person who is also on a ventilator and in serious condition.
Prof. Lior Nesher, director of the Institute of Infectious Diseases in Soroka, said that there has been a significant increase in the percentage of positive tests for respiratory diseases. "The winter period is characterized by an increase in respiratory tract morbidity - and in particular influenza. This is a contagious respiratory disease that may cause complications, especially among at-risk populations.".
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Dr. Uri Galante, a senior physician in the internal intensive care unit and director of the Acmo service in Soroka, emphasized the importance of flu vaccination and its effect on preventing complications from respiratory illness: "In the past two weeks, 5 patients with flu complications were hospitalized, most of them between the ages of 20 and 50. It is important to emphasize - flu vaccination can prevent such extreme situations from occurring. When a person experiences difficulty breathing with worsening symptoms - it is recommended to go and be examined by a medical team.".
According to data from the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), respiratory morbidity rates continue to rise. Community monitoring data indicates that the upward trend in influenza-like illness continues, with the season being defined as moderate for the first time.
