A load not seen since the peak of the corona virus: an unusual wave of influenza in Israel

The pediatric intensive care unit at the Rambam Hospital in Haifa is currently dealing with a load the likes of which has not been recorded since the peak of the corona epidemic: four babies are connected at the same time to ECMO devices, cardiopulmonary ventilators that are activated only in the most critical cases. Two of the babies were hospitalized in serious condition due to complications from the flu. The Hadassah Ein Kerem and Hadassah Har Scopus hospitals in Jerusalem also report a continuous flow of children of various ages suffering from the flu. Some of them needed a soul.

Even at Maccabi Health Services, the second largest health fund in Israel, where nearly three million people are insured, there are indications of unusual activity of the influenza virus this season. According to the data at Maccabi, during the month of November, about 25% of the samples in the PCR test for respiratory viruses, taken at the community clinics, were found to be positive for type A influenza, compared to the corresponding period last year, when only 5% were detected. The most significant jump was registered among children and teenagers: of all the PCR tests taken in the group of children aged 3-6 during November, 59% came out positive for type A influenza. Among children and teenagers aged 6-18, 50% of the tests were found to be positive.

The problem: a minority of people get vaccinated

“The population is beginning to feel that it is spreading, and the main problem is the fact that people do not get vaccinated against the flu and are not aware of the risk involved. We have a very serious problem in that the Ministry of Health does not do enough information on vaccinations, in my opinion, and therefore the vaccination rates among the population are very low. According to the Ministry of Health, only 13% of the entire population has been vaccinated, which is ridiculous. There are also low numbers among pregnant women, who are in risk groups like the elderly 75 and above”.

We tend to underestimate

Prof. Hertz emphasizes the importance of the flu vaccine to save lives. “A lot of people ask, ‘Why get vaccinated?’, and that’s a legitimate question, so there are some data based on deep studies that explain it,” he elaborates. “The most vulnerable public are the populations at risk – elderly people, babies, pregnant women and sick people. It is important to understand that a young, healthy and strong person, who is infected with the virus, can infect the parents, grandparents or the baby. Even if you feel great, you may be an asymptomatic carrier of the virus and can infect others without feeling the disease yourself. Another fact that few people know is that the vaccine that you receive in Israel is a killed flu virus that is injected into the muscle, so it cannot to reproduce or cause disease, but only to stimulate an immune response to create antibodies.”

He also added: “The risk of vaccination is almost non-existent, compared to the risk of contracting the virus itself. When a person is infected with the virus, their risk of having a heart attack in the following week is six times greater, and in the following month, twice that of people who are not sick. The flu can greatly worsen the condition of people who suffer from a respiratory disease and even create life-threatening complications. The vaccine does not guarantee that you will be 100% protected, but it reduces the chance that the flu will cause you to complications. The smartest thing people can do now is to get vaccinated against the flu, because soon, when the flu spreads more, it will be less effective.”

Dr. Shapira Ben-David emphasizes that “the vaccine is the most important thing.” In principle, she recommends getting vaccinated at the end of summer, but even now “it is effective, even though it takes time for the vaccine to work.” Along with the vaccine, she recommends basic precautions: “Do not stay near sick people, if sick do not come to work, do not send sick children to kindergarten and stay at home until the symptoms pass.”

In addition, she recommends washing your hands carefully, as the virus is “carried on the hands” and easily spreads through contact and surfaces. “We tend to underestimate the flu, but every year there are cases of death,” she warns. “Influenza can cause severe respiratory illness and even death, unfortunately. It is important for me to say that in the research we did at Maccabi we saw that children get vaccinated when their parents get vaccinated. It is important that the whole family get vaccinated – children, teenagers and adults. It is also important to protect the elderly, a population for whom vaccinations are less effective. It is important to get vaccinated to protect ourselves and those around us.”