Barak instructs Defense Ministry to ready for swine flu crisis

Following the discovery of swine flu in Israel, Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the ministry's secretary-general, Pinchas Buchris, to coordinate the ministry in case the disease spreads. The instruction follows a 2005 government decision that relegates responsibility to the Defense Ministry in cases a medical situation might turn into a national crisis. The medical-professional aspect of handling the disease will remain the responsibility of the Health Ministry, the Defense Ministry's statement said.