JERUSALEM, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli Ministry of Health reported in a statement on Tuesday that a patient died of West Nile fever, bringing the total number of deaths from the virus in the current outbreak in the country to three.
The ministry noted that the deceased patient was hospitalized at the Sheba Medical Center in central Israel.
In addition, there is an ongoing investigation into whether the virus caused the death of another patient at Beilinson Hospital, also located in central Israel.
Meanwhile, the ministry reported 10 new cases of infection with the virus, which is transmitted by mosquito bites. This brought the total number of cases since the beginning of May to 42, with 36 patients hospitalized, including five currently ventilated.
Later in the day, the Israeli health and environmental protection ministries said in a joint statement that mosquitoes infected with the virus were detected at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv.
Following the detection, the Environmental Protection Ministry instructed the Israel Airports Authority to expand the monitoring and extermination system in the airport area.
Also on Tuesday, the Health Ministry reported the death of a five-week-old baby from the Jerusalem area due to Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, noting that his mother was not vaccinated against the bacterium during pregnancy.
Since January 2023, Israel has witnessed a rise in whooping cough cases, prompting intensified efforts by the ministry to combat the disease. ■
