As the winter season approaches, and in light of the concern with regard to the spread of the swine flu in Israel, the Raanana Municipality is preparing to increase awareness among its employees and residents as to the appropriate preventative and coping measures, pursuant to the Education Ministry’s guidelines.  Concurrently, all the city’s educational institutions are executing the necessary preparations, according to the instruction of the Ministry of Education.

Please note that the swine flu is similar to the regular seasonal flu, and is characterized by fever (38 degrees and higher) and at least one of the following symptoms:  a runny nose, sore throat, cough, muscle pains or shortness of breath.

A patient who contracts this disease is infectious from the time the symptoms appear and up to 24 hours after they disappear.  Infection from person to person is transmitted through contact with the respiratory secretions of the patient.  It is reasonable to assume that the rate of infection will increase during the winter season.

The risk of infection may be reduced if proper hygiene is maintained.  Do not come in close contact with the patient and wash your hands frequently with water and soap.

For more detailed information regarding the disease, groups at risk, risks of infection and preventative measures, refer to the Ministry of Health’s website:   http://www.health.gov.il/h1n1/hanchayut_zibur.asp