98 Israelis currently seriously ill with disease

19-year-old dies from flu in Jerusalem, in 10th fatality of season

Health Ministry calls on public to vaccinate, saying only 15% have already done so — a decline from last year

By ToI Staff 24 December 2019, 5:57 pm

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In an attempt to battle the measles outbreak, some countries in Europe have enacted laws making vaccinating children mandatory. (Illustrative. Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Doctors on Monday announced the death of a 19-year-old man who arrived at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center following complications from the flu.

The teenager had been treating the illness at home but was rushed to the hospital after losing consciousness. On the ambulance ride to the Jerusalem hospital, the young man also stopped breathing, but doctors managed to restart his pulse and he was placed on a respirator briefly before succumbing to the illness.

Hebrew media reports on Tuesday also said a 14-year-old girl and man in his 50s recently died of complications from the disease.

The 2019-2020 season has seen 10 flu-related deaths and 98 seriously ill from the disease — a significant increase from the 2018-2019 season which saw 45 seriously ill and 17 deaths, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

A year earlier, 37 Israelis died of the flu, the ministry said.

The Health Ministry called on Israelis to get vaccinated against the flu, lamenting that just 15.7% of the public has done so this season — a drop from 17.2% last year and 18.1% the year before that.