The Ministry of Health has issued a warning advisory on Friday, calling for anyone who visited between May 3-17 to Meron's Idra-Raba Cave and came into contact with a mixed-breed, brown and white dog of medium size to visit the Health Ministry offices in their area immediately.
Dr. Chaim Rothbart, who is based at the Ministry of Health in branch in Tzfat (Safed), told Arutz Sheva on Friday that the dog had rabies and may have come into contact with thousands of people.
He warned specifically that the dog was sighted at the hillulla bonfire for the Rashbi, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, being held at that cave, which was mostly attended by students from the Kabbalah Center in Tel Aviv.
"I ask all who touched or may have touched the dog - we've released pictures of it - to go immediately to the Ministry of Healthy offices near their homes so doctors can determine whether to begin preventative treatment," he said.
"We will decide whether to give preventative care - this is a set of 4 to 5 shots over two weeks, which ensures that [an affected] person will not get sick," he added. "Whoever is sick with the disease has a high probability of dying from it. I ask people not to make their own judgments, but instead to come to us if there's any doubt, and we'll decide."
Dr. Rothbart concluded by warning that there is a rabies epidemic among wild animals in the Galilee at the moment, and to be careful not to touch unfamiliar animals.