"I suffered serious health and emotional damage, needlessly," said the plaintiff.

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The woman was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 after a biopsy of a growth in her breast came back as positive. The biopsy was tested at both Elisha Hospital in northern Israel and the Carmel Medical Center in Haifa.

Following the false positives, the plaintiff underwent six months of chemotherapy, which were followed by surgery to remove the growth, which entailed a partial mastectomy.

However, according to the lawsuit, only after the growth removed from her breast and biopsied again did she learn that it had been benign.

The plaintiff says that her course of chemotherapy caused her peripheral neuropathy; a tremor in her hands; weakness; harmed her memory and; made her depressed. She has filed suit against Elisha Hospital, the Carmel Medical Center, and Clalit Health Services for alleged medical negligence.

"The difficult treatments were unnecessary in light of the actual diagnosis, and were given as a direct result of a missed diagnosis at two different, critical, opportunities," the lawsuit alleges.

The suit also alleges that the two, separate, medical committees that convened on the patient's case did not include a pathologist, which is in violation of standard procedures.

The lawsuit rests on findings by an independent pathologist hired by the plaintiff, who said that both hospitals had misdiagnosed the woman's growth as cancerous, and should have identified it as benign.

The Carmel Medical Center said in response to the report that "This is a legal inquiry, and the hospital will only respond within that framework."

Elisha Hospital did not respond to requests for comment.

The post Woman subjected to mastectomy, chemo never had cancer appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Among the sick, some came from Italy, Spain, Belgium and Austria, and five were infected after coming into direct contact with confirmed cases.

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The 29th patient is a 45-year-old ambulance driver who spent several hours in the emergency ward of Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva on Saturday night. The medical staff that he came into contact with were put into isolation.

The driver is currently in stable condition, although his case could represent a new phase in the containment efforts because his transmission circumstances were not immediately clear and he did not initially display regular symptoms.

Professor Ehud Davidson, CEO of Clalit Health Services, said that Israel was "in control of the disease, unlike other countries," stressing that the Israeli government knew how each of the patients confirmed so far got infected.

The driver's case could indicate a loss of control, however, as it was not clear how he became infected and from whom.

The point when authorities are incapable of tracing the spread of the disease, Davidson explained, is the point where control is lost.

Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is contemplating ordering all international travelers into quarantine.

Netanyahu, who spoke at a special press conference held in Jerusalem with Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, said a final decision would be made on Monday about a comprehensive quarantine directive for travelers from anywhere, including the United States.

"If we take more steps, it will be on all countries," the prime minister said. "We are not talking about closing our gates, we are talking about quarantine for those who come from abroad."

Prof. Hagai Levine, an epidemiologist, public health physician and faculty member of the Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, believes the Health Ministry is taking the wrong steps.

"The emphasis needs to be that anyone with a fever and cough must be considered a potential coronavirus case and must self-quarantine at home. It's an illusion that closing our borders means no one will be sick here," Levine said.

The post Spike in contraction rate sees 14 new coronavirus cases in span of hours appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.