Gaza swine flu victims transferred to Israeli hospitals

Swine flu hits Gaza, fiv

By YAAKOV KATZ
Gaza swine flu (photo credit: AP)
Gaza swine flu
(photo credit: AP)
Five Palestinians from the Gaza Strip were evacuated to Israeli hospitals on Monday out of fear that they had contracted the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. Their evacuation was coordinated by the IDF's Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration. Officials said that one of the five, a Palestinian doctor, had already tested positive and that the other four were undergoing tests to confirm the diagnosis. The CLA has also coordinated the transfer of 10,000 vaccinations to the Gaza Strip. A Palestinian woman in Gaza died of swine flu on Sunday, the first fatality from the virus reported in the district. The first five cases of the H1N1 virus had been diagnosed the previous day, Palestinian sources said. Gaza has a shortage of the swine flu vaccine, with 1,000 doses for its 8,000 health-care workers, The Associated Press reported. Palestinians told AP that the shortage is due to the problems between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, and not to Israel's blockade of the strip, which allows medical supplies to be shipped in. Some 1,250 Palestinians in the West Bank have contracted the swine flu virus; none have died. More than 8,500 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Israel. So far, 67 Israeli deaths have been linked to the H1N1 virus. JTA contributed to this report.