Israel’s swine flu death toll reachs 80

The number of Israelis who have died with swine flu hit 80.

On Monday, an otherwise healthy 25-year-old woman died of the virus in northern Israel. Later in the day a 52-year-old man with chronic illnesses died with the virus, becoming Israel’s 80th victim of the H1N1 virus.

Israel’s Ministry of Health has called for the vaccination of Israel’s 7 million residents, but only about 4 percent have been immunized. None of the Israelis who died with the virus had been vaccinated.

Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman was publicly vaccinated Monday and called on Israelis to follow his lead. The ministry has purchased enough of the vaccine to immunize the entire population.