hospital (illustration)
hospital (illustration)shutterstock

An eight-year-old girl has been hospitalized in serious condition due to complications from the influenza A strain of the flu.

The girl was taken to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba after suffering from lack of oxygen and severe breathing difficulties. She had been ill with the flu for several days before her condition deteriorated.

She woke up with severe respiratory difficulty and her family members began CPR, and with the help of Magen David (MDA) medics she was evacuated to the hospital.

She was taken to the emergency room, where doctors determined that she was suffering severe pulmonary edema and succeeded in resuscitating her at the hospital.

Dr. Deganit Adam Cohen, director of the pediatric intensive care unit at Meir Hospital, said that "this is a serious case of respiratory inflammation, due to a viral illness. The girl's family members should be commended, as they did not lose their heads and started treatment immediately, including the call for medical assistance."

"In the last two weeks alone, we have treated four children in Meir's intensive care unit who came in critical condition due to the disease, all of whom are not vaccinated against the flu," she said.