The incidence of swine flu in Israel is rapidly increasing, with another 19 people diagnosed with the H1N1 virus on Sunday.
Nearly 300 cases of the global pandemic virus have been confirmed in Israel since the outbreak first landed on its shores in late April, within days after the first cases were seen in Mexico and the U.S.
Officially, 290 people have been diagnosed with the virus in Israel, although there may be more. Oren A. told Israel National News on Monday that he was sick with symptoms of the flu "but not sick enough to bother going to the doctor." Instead, he said he would "just stay home and take care of it."
"And if it's swine flu?" he was asked. "Nu, so what?" he replied. "So I'll drink tea anyway."
On the one hand, health officials in Israel are telling the public on the one hand to stay home with their flu symptoms rather than rush to hospitals. The Health Ministry announced Sunday that the four health maintenance organizations (Kupat Holim) would treat H1N1 flu patients from now on. Most of the cases are mild, and the vast majority of the patients have already recovered.
People who feel ill should only go to the hospital if the community clinic is closed or if they are actually referred by their doctor.
On the other hand, Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman said Sunday that he was considering ordering officials to screen all 5,000 incoming athletes who are expected to participate in the upcoming Maccabiah sports games next month.
"I don't want to reach a situation in which another 5,000 people come here and just increase [the incidence of] the disease," he told reporters.
Each person diagnosed with swine flu in Israel is set to receive a kit from the Health Ministry that contains mouth and nose masks for him and his family, as well as instructions on how to keep the virus from spreading.
Related Disease? Newcastle's Strikes the South
In what may possibly be a related development, Israel's veterinary service has identified an outbreak of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in numerous communities in the nation's southern region.
Newcastle disease virus is a highly contagious zoonotic bird disease that affects both domestic and wild avians. Exposure of human beings to infected birds – for example, in poultry processing plants, or farms – can cause flu-like symptoms or mild conjunctivitis, but is not deadly. There is no treatment.
The disease affects poultry in particular, and can cause severe economic damage to poultry producers. The outbreak was first caught at turkey farms in Kibbutz Revidim.
Poultry farmers are being asked to inoculate their birds and place them in closed coops in order to prevent the spread of diseases that can affect humans, such as bird flu, West Nile virus and ornithosis.
Israeli law requires that owners immunize chickens, turkeys, geese, doves, pigeons, quail, ostriches, emus, pheasants and peacocks.