Flu outbreak now strikes babies as infections treble
Numbers affected hit 20,000 after return to work and school
FLU levels trebled in a week as the country returned to work and school – leaving 20,000 infected patients swamping GP surgeries, and hundreds more admitted to overcrowded hospitals.
The spike, which is more severe than last winter’s flu outbreak, now has more adults than children being struck down with illness.
Children were the main victims of the flu immediately after Christmas. But the potentially fatal infection is currently sweeping through the older age groups as they return to work.
It is also particularly affecting pensioners over 65, the HSE warned. And there is also a high rate among babies under a year old. Babies are particularly susceptible to flu because their immune systems are not developed and the vaccine cannot be given to infants under six months of age.
Dr Kevin Kelleher, the HSE’s head of public health, said: “We have probably still got another four, five, six weeks of flu activity – this is not dissimilar to what we have experienced in the last three or four weeks.”
Flu is now considered “widespread” in all part of the country expect for the Midlands.
Dr Kelleher said that officially the number of deaths from flu remains “under 10”. But it is likely flu has claimed more lives and it will take time to confirm deaths.
But Dr Cillian de Gascun, head of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, confirmed that the so-called “Aussie flu” strain has been overtaken by a B strain. This influenza B Yamagata strain is not covered by the flu vaccine, but the jab may still provide some cross cover.
FLU levels trebled in a week as the country returned to work and school – leaving 20,000 infected patients swamping GP surgeries, and hundreds more admitted to overcrowded hospitals.
The spike, which is more severe than last winter’s flu outbreak, now has more adults than children being struck down with illness.
Children were the main victims of the flu immediately after Christmas.
But the potential killer infection is currently sweeping through the older age groups as they return to work.
It is also particularly affecting those over 65, the HSE warned. There is also a high rate among babies who are under a year old.
Babies are particularly susceptible to flu because their immune systems are not developed and the vaccine cannot be given to infants under six months of age.
The flu may peak next week or could have already reached its worst levels in recent days, said Dr Kevin Kelleher, the HSE’s head of public health.
But it will continue to circulate at intense levels for another four to six weeks.
“We have probably still got another four, five, six weeks of flu activity not dissimilar to what we have experienced in the last three or four weeks,” he said. “We have reached a moderate level. We have not yet got to a high level which in the last 17-18 years we only breached four times.”
Severity
Flu is now considered “widespread” in all parts of the country except for the Midlands counties.
It caused 367 patients to be hospitalised last week in the eight hospitals across the regions which are used as infection watchdogs by the HSE.
The real toll was much higher, as these figures do not include the seriously ill patients who had to be isolated in another 40 hospitals.
The severity of the illness led to 28 patients being admitted to critical care so far this winter.
Dr Kelleher said that officially the number of deaths from flu remains “under 10”.
But it is likely flu has claimed more lives and it will take time to confirm deaths.
In total, last winter there were ultimately 90 confirmed deaths from flu.
The flu has not reached the levels of the so-called swine flu pandemic of seven years ago.
But Dr Cillian de Gascun, head of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, confirmed that the H3N2 strain – known as Aussie flu – has been overtaken by a B strain.
This influenza B Yamagata strain is not covered by the flu vaccine but the jab may provide some cross cover, he said.
Public health officials are continuing to advise people to get the flu vaccine as the best protection against the highly contagious virus.
Dr Kelleher said the HSE has no stocks of a second vaccine which provides better protection against the Yamagata strain.
Meanwhile, flu-hit hospitals suffered another day of overcrowding yesterday as 544 patients endured further gruelling delays on trolleys, as they waited for a bed.
Liam Woods, the HSE’s head of acute hospitals, said many had not scheduled surgery for waiting list patients in a bid to cope with the influx of people – although all emergency operations were going ahead.
It is expected to be the end of the month before surgeons can resume regular theatre activity, and call in patients on waiting lists for operations.
Hospital attendances are 10.5pc higher than this time last year.
Several measures are in place to ease the congestion, including the transfer of more than 80 patients to private hospitals in Dublin and Cork.
In Tallaght Hospital yesterday, adult patients had to be placed in a paediatric observation ward. A spokesman said it was a temporary measure which was “unfortunately necessary”.