Israel has begun to innoculate IDF soldiers with the H1N1 "swine flu" vaccine, although not all soldiers will be receiving the vaccination right away. The criteria for soldiers to be innoculated against the virus are the same as for civilians: only those with a prior history of serious medical conditions or those working in a medical field are eligible to receive the vaccination. IDF soldiers who are eligible to receive the H1N1 vaccination have already been scheduled for the innoculation, according to an IDF spokesman.
Health officials began administering the vaccine last Monday to hospital and other health care workers across the Jewish State. Two days later, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) were given the green light to vaccinate their "high risk" members between the ages of 3 and 65 with chronic health conditions -- a population of approximately one million Israelis.
According to a health official who asked to remain anonymous, "there has been some discussion in the Health Ministry over whether children should be innoculated or not." However, the source told Israel National News, it was decided that for the time being, children would not be considered a natural high-risk group and thus would not receive the vaccine unless they had an underlying serious medical condition as well.
The restriction is due to the limited supply of the vaccine; government officials say the rest of the population will receive innoculations within the next several months. Only 300,000 doses of the vaccine have been delivered to Israel thus far, although more are expected to arrive by the end of the month. Some 2.3 million doses have been ordered by the government, with the entire lot to be received by March 2010.
The delay is due to a worldwide shortage of the vaccine, which has been successfully manufacturered by the only a few companies.
H1N1 Continues Rapid Spread Across Israel
The virus has continued to spread rapidly across the Jewish State, with three more Israelis last week joining the list of those whose deaths were officially linked with the illness.
Last month a Tel Aviv elementary school was briefly closed due to an outbreak of influenza, although health officials did not make it clear which strain had committed 140 of the 180 students at the Ussishkin School to their sickbeds. Only one case was confirmed with symptoms of the H1N1 swine flu virus.
Since the H1N1 virus made its appearance in April, nearly 4,500 Israelis have become ill with the disease -- but of the 39 deaths linked with the virus, only two were clearly caused by the H1N1 influenza strain. The rest of the victims all had underlying medical conditions that had seriously weakened their ability to fight the illness.
Cooperation and Coordination with PA
The IDF announced Sunday that Israel had transferred 5,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine to Gaza for Hajj pilgrims leaving to Saudi Arabia through the Rafiah border crossing with Egypt. In a statement to the media, Col. Moshe Levi, commander of the Gaza District Coordination Office said, "Swine flu is a worldwide problem; it does not stop at borders. An outbreak of swine flu will endanger the Palestinian population and also endanger the State of Israel."
Levi said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had donated the vaccines and arranged for their transfer to Gaza.
Approximately 20,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine were delivered last Thursday by Israel to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah as well, ahead of the annual traditional Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, which begins this week. The delivery to Ramallah was made through the Kalandiya Crossing in Samaria (Shomron). A spokesman for the Civil Administration said in a statement, "The State of Israel places great value on cooperation and coordination with the Palestinian Authority in the fields of health and religious expression."
The government of Saudi Arabia this year has required all Muslims who embark on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca to be innoculated with the H1N1 vaccine as a condition for entering the city. Muslims are enjoined by Islamic law to complete the Hajj at least once in a lifetime.