Due to the flu epidemic, the Ministry of Health recommends wearing masks in enclosed spaces

Experts note that although the flu vaccine does not guarantee complete protection against infection, in most cases it alleviates the course of the disease and reduces the risk of complications, and urge those who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated.

Even now, when the epidemic is just gaining momentum, hospitals and clinics are reporting queues. According to the National Center for Disease Control, in week 49 there were 513 new hospitalizations for group A influenza and one positive result for group B influenza. In the last three weeks, four children died from complications caused by the influenza virus, one of whom was vaccinated.

Doctors fear that this season will be one of the most difficult in recent years.

The Ministry of Health recommended that people in the “risk group” wear masks in crowded places in enclosed spaces. Masks are also recommended for healthcare workers and when visiting nursing homes and geriatric facilities.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement that this year the global flu epidemic began earlier than usual, and the incidence rate is higher than the statistical average. The early increase in incidence is explained by the emergence of a new substrain of influenza A – A(H3N2). The flu epidemic in Israel also began earlier than expected. At the same time, the Ministry of Health emphasizes: in the world and in Israel there is no unusually high childhood morbidity, particularly severe course of the disease or an increased proportion of hospitalizations compared to the general morbidity level.