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Twelve die of West Nile virus in Israel

BMJ 2000; 321 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7263.724/a (Published 23 September 2000) Cite this as: BMJ 2000;321:724
  1. Judy Siegel-Itzkovich
  1. Jerusalem

    Twelve middle aged and elderly Israelis have died since August of complications of the mosquito borne disease West Nile virus, and an additional 157 have survived it. Between August and October 1999 in New York city more than 66 people were infected and six died.

    The Israeli health ministry's associate director general, Dr Boaz Lev, had initially claimed that the high numbers were due to sophisticated laboratory tests first made available here last year that enabled the government to screen the blood of people complaining of symptoms.

    As the numbers mounted, they conceded, however, that there was a genuine outbreak, and some experts in infectious …

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