BREAKING NEWS

Only 1.3% of Israelis got H1N1 shot; 3 more people with swine flu die

Only 1.3% of Israelis go

An 11-year-old girl, and two women aged 25 and 77 - all suffering from serious chronic illnesses - died on Monday after being infected with H1N1 virus, the Health Ministry said. The first died at Haifa's Rambam Medical Center, the second at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and the third at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. They were the 61st, 62nd and 63rd Israelis listed as victims of the H1N1 flu strain, even though in none of the cases could the deaths be blamed on the virus due to lack of autopsies. Meanwhile, although Prime Minister (and acting health minister) Binyamin Netanyahu has ordered 7.3 million doses of H1N1 vaccine - enough for every resident except for newborns - the average Israeli does not seem interested in getting the shot. According to the latest figures of the Center for Disease Control, only 1.3 percent of residents - or 96,772 people - have received the H1N1 vaccination about a month after the first 350,000 became available. Many of those who were vaccinated work in the health system. Around the world, about 8,200 people have died of H1N1 flu, according to the latest report.