Israel fears first swine flu fatality

The Health Ministry is examining whether the death on Saturday of a 34-year-old man was the first fatality in Israel caused by swine flu.

The man died Saturday night at the Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat, after he had been hospitalized suffering from symptoms of pneumonia.

A 2-year-old boy who was also feared to have died of swine flu had not actually contracted the virus, the Health Ministry relayed Sunday.

The infant had been suffering from a chronic disease and also died during the night, at the Schneider Children's Medical Center, in Petah Tikva.

Following the man's death, the hospital relayed that the 34-year-old's body had been sent to the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine for further examination.

This was carried out at the hospital's request and with the family's agreement, Yoseftal said.

The Health Ministry relayed that samples from the pair had been sent to its central laboratory at Tel Hashomer for tests, the results of which are expected on Monday morning. Both the infant and the man had belonged to a high-risk group, the ministry said.

The 2-year-old was from the central town of Bnei Brak; he died after suffering from a serious hereditary illness.

Two new cases of swine flu were reported in Israel just last Wednesday. A 50-year-old man from central Israel with no previous background of illnesses was hospitalized in intensive care at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, where he is on ventilation and in serious condition.

A 13-year-old girl from central Israel was hospitalized at the Safra Children's Hospital at Tel Hashomer with signs of a lung infection.

Aside from the new cases, there has been a reported improvement in the health of four others hospitalized with swine flu: a female Swedish tourist, 21, and a man, 44, who are currently being treated at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv; a disabled man, 22, at Hadassah Mount Scopus in Jerusalem; and a woman, 25, who had just given birth at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center near Rishon Lezion. The woman's new-born daughter was released from hospital Saturday.

Around 1000 cases of swine flu have been reported in total in Israel.