The Ministry of Health announced Tuesday that so far 131 Israelis have contracted the H1N1 virus. The ministry has decided to change the procedure for treating the flu, and patients with the disease will no longer stay in isolated care in the hospital but will be sent home and instructed to remain inside.
According to the World Health Organization, 35,928 people have been infected with the H1N1 virus in 76 countries. Of those, 163 have died, giving the disease a fatality rate of 0.45 percent. Normal influenza has a fatality rate of 0.1 percent.