Health Ministry Urges Vaccination as Flu Season Starts Early in Israel

Israel’s Health Ministry said on Monday that the flu season had begun earlier than usual and that influenza was being detected at a high rate among hospitalized patients. The ministry renewed its appeal for vaccination, which it recommends from six months of age and says is available free through the health funds. It said the vaccine does not prevent every infection but generally reduces illness severity and significantly lowers the risk of severe illness or death. The announcement supplied neither hospitalization totals nor a numerical detection rate.