The backbone of influenza pandemic lives for the 23rd time this winter: A man died in hospital this morning from a complication of the illness • Three more Soroka patients were diagnosed with acute flu

• Photo: Dudu Greenshpan

Stroke of flu: A 70-year-old man died Thursday morning at Soroka Hospital as a result of a complication of the disease. This is the 23rd victim of flu disease this winter.

The patient arrived at the hospital with influenza symptoms and was hospitalized, but soon his body systems suddenly collapsed, despite receiving medical treatment.

Intensive care units at Soroka Medical Center now have three patients diagnosed with severe flu.

Hadassah Hospital infectious disease specialist noted in an internal letter to the medical institution that the number of hospitalized patients with influenza - four times that of the corresponding period last year.

"We continue to see an upward trend in the number of influenza patients, and in the past two weeks, more than 230 patients have been diagnosed with Hadassah. According to the letter, this is a significant increase of more than four times the number of patients hospitalized with influenza in the corresponding period last year.