Two Israelis and a Russian woman who had sought treatment for illness in Haifa's Rambam Hospital died on Thursday from swine flu complications, bringing the total number of deaths of those who were infected with the H1N1 virus to 16.
A resident of the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba died on Thursday from complications after contracting swine flu. In addition, Rambam Hospital in Haifa announced that two people who had suffered from other illnesses had died after being infected with the flu.
The West Bank resident, a 22-year-old male, was hospitalized at Sha'arei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem two-and-a-half weeks ago. He was known to suffer from a number of other ailments prior to his swine flu infection, including respiratory illnesses.
He was hospitalized after developing a severe case of pneumonia and admitted into intensive care. Doctors then diagnosed him as carrying the H1N1 strand of swine flu.
"Despite the fact that there is no certainty, we cannot rule out a link to swine flu and it was decided to include this case as a fatality which resulted from the contraction of swine flu," the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Rambam Hospital in Haifa announced Thursday that a man, 66, who was known to suffer from a number of illnesses and who was admitted into the hospital after falling ill had died. Doctors said the man was certain to have contracted swine flu.
In addition, a 60-year-old woman who was ill with cancer and who recently arrived in the country from Russia to receive treatment in Israel died late Wednesday night. She was also diagnosed as carrying swine flu.
