61-year-old woman with no underlying conditions in critical condition due to influenza complications

In depth

A 61-year-old woman with no underlying conditions was hospitalized at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba in critical condition due to influenza complications. She had not been vaccinated against the virus.

The woman contracted severe influenza at home, with high fever and acute shortness of breath for five days, before arriving at the hospital. Her condition worsened even after she was sedated and ventilated, and she was later connected to an ECMO machine to support her breathing.

The hospital warns that influenza can lead to life-threatening complications even in healthy people, and calls on the public to get vaccinated. In recent weeks, a girl aged eight and a 17-year-old girl were hospitalized due to influenza, and the case joins a series of serious hospitalizations across the country.