Flu vaccine advised for high-risk groups after doubling of cases

High-risk groups should get vaccinated against influenza following a doubling of the number of cases last week, the Health Service Executive has advised.

Flu rates rose from 15.5 per 100,000 to 29 during the second week of January and are now above threshold levels, which means the illness is actively circulating in the community, according to Dr Darina O’Flanagan, director of the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre.

Flu rates remain low relative to previous years, but are expected to increase over the coming weeks and the virus is expected to circulate for the next six to eight weeks.

Although the predominant strain of flu this winter is somewhat different from the strain used in the vaccine currently available, Dr O’Flanagan said vaccination remained the most effective means of preventing infection.

Outbreak under way

Minister for Health

Leo Varadkar

acknowledged a flu outbreak was under way and warned it could impact on overcrowding in hospital emergency departments.

He told the Oireachtas Health Committee the number of patients on trolleys had dropped to the lowest level for Thursday’s date (January 15th) for some years.

There were 256 people on trolleys on Thursday morning, of whom 141 had been waiting for more than nine hours. This compared with 280 on the same date last year, the committee heard.

The Minister said the numbers counted by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation for Trolley Watch was the lowest for this time of the year since 2005. Even when trolleys accommodated on wards were included, it was still lower than in the 2008-11 period.

This showed the measures taken to alleviate overcrowding had worked, he said, though there were huge variations between different hospitals. However, nothing was being taken for granted and there was no reason for complacency.