The Health Ministry reported Tuesday that a patient with West Nile fever died at the Sheba Medical Center, and there are concerns that another person succumbed to the virus a day earlier at Rabin Medical Center, though tests for confirmation are still pending.
This brings the total number of deaths from the virus to four, following the deaths of two elderly women over the weekend who had been confirmed as having West Nile fever.
The deceased at Sheba was an 80-year-old resident of Ganei Tikva. The patient under investigation at Beilinson is also an 80-year-old man, from Herzliya. So far, 42 people have been diagnosed with West Nile fever, of whom 36 have been hospitalized, including five who are on ventilators. All the patients are from central Israel.
The Environmental Protection Ministry has trapped mosquitoes infected with West Nile fever at Ben Gurion Airport. The infected mosquitoes were found in traps set up over the past week. Additionally, infected mosquitoes were captured in Ramat Gan. The Ministry of Environmental Protection has notified the Airports Authority and the Ramat Gan Municipality about the captured mosquitoes and has ordered increased monitoring and, if necessary, immediate prevention and extermination measures.
The Health Ministry stated that approximately 80% of those infected do not develop symptoms of West Nile fever. About 20% will exhibit symptoms of varying severity, including fever, general malaise, headaches, or widespread body pain, with neurological complications occurring in less than 1% of cases. It is important to note that the virus is not transmitted from person to person and cannot be passed back to mosquitoes from humans.
The Health Ministry has issued updated guidelines to medical staff, emphasizing the importance of diagnosing and monitoring the disease. To reduce exposure to mosquitoes, the Ministry recommends using mosquito repellents and appropriate equipment to keep mosquitoes out of living areas, as well as using fans in living spaces.