Israel's Health Ministry stopped the administering of further flu vaccines after the fourth inoculation-related death was reported. It also clarified that the suspension was merely a precautionary step and it is investigating the matter.
Health minister Ya'acov Ben-Yizri said there was nothing to link the deaths with the vaccine apart from the common fact that three out of the four men who died were inoculated at the same medical center. All four deaths took place in less than a week in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat.
Ben-Yizri has meanwhile asked French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis which manufactured the drug to conduct separate investigations simultaneously. Although all deaths occurred within a short time of the vaccine being injected, it must be noted that the victims were men with either previous heart ailments or a history of diabetes.
The immediate cause of the first three deaths is reported as a cardiac arrest, while the cause of the fourth death has not yet been disclosed. The victims were aged between 52 and 76 and one died within hours of being vaccinated.
However, until any further clarification is made, all vaccines have been put on hold. So far over 140,000 people in Israel have already been vaccinated this year, mostly senior citizens and those with a diagnosed heart problem, since these are high risk groups. The country's health ministry had recommended that all persons above 65 years and cardiac patients of all ages be protected against influenza because of the severe risks from complications.
The use of the vaccine was not extended to the general population or to low risk groups because of a global shortage. Flu vaccine supplies worldwide are expected to be restored to normal next month.
In a statement to Channel 10, the ministry said it believed there was no connection between the deaths and the vaccine but the suspension was necessary “until things are made clear”. It also said administering of the vaccines may resume soon.
