THE NUMBER of people in hospital with swine flu across the State has increased over the past week, according to the Department of Health.
Its deputy chief medical officer, Dr Eibhlín Connolly, told a press briefing at Government Buildings yesterday evening that there were 21 people in hospital with the pandemic H1N1 flu.
At the end of last week, 27 people had been in hospital with swine flu since the pandemic began, but as of lunchtime yesterday this figure had increased by 23 to 50. Four of those admitted to hospital in the last week were admitted to intensive care units, she said.
Of those currently in hospital with swine flu, four are under four years, two are in the five-14 year age group, 13 are in the 15-64 year category, while two are over 65 years.
Dr Connolly said 29 of the 50 people who had been admitted to hospitalised to date had recovered and gone home, but one person, Sligo cystic fibrosis sufferer Darina Calpin (18), who contracted swine flu, died last week.
About half of the patients who were in hospital had pre-existing clinical conditions, she said.
Meanwhile the number of people presenting to GPs with flu-like illness had decreased slightly over the past week. Dr Connolly said the consultation rate, which was 35.3 per 100,000 of population last week, stood at 33.1 per 100,000 this week, the equivalent of some 1,456 cases nationally. This indicated flu activity in the community was “stable”.
Some 78.6 per cent of cases seen by GPs were under 35 years of age.
There have been several localised outbreaks at summer schools, not just at Irish colleges in Donegal, and these were managed appropriately, she said.
A third Irish college in the Donegal Gaeltacht closed yesterday because of further cases of swine flu. Authorities at the Gael Linn-run college at Machaire Rabhartaigh, near Gortahork, decided to shut the college following an increase in pupils presenting with flu-like symptoms.
Irish colleges at Rann na Feirste and Loch an Iúir have already closed due to swine flu outbreaks.
Meanwhile, Dr Kevin Kelleher, head of health protection with the HSE, has said there is no date yet for the arrival of swine flu vaccines in Ireland but they were expected in the autumn, subject to licensing and safety checks. The best treatment for pandemic flu was to prevent it by vaccination, he said.
It was therefore important that everyone availed of the vaccine when offered it.
He confirmed that HSE and department officials met the Department of Education yesterday and it was agreed there was no reason schools and third-level colleges should not reopen for the new term.
The virus at present was a mild- to-moderate disease and unless that situation changed, there was no reason for schools to remain closed.
A vaccination programme to tackle swine flu in Northern Ireland will be rolled out in October with vulnerable groups first to be treated. – (Additional reporting PA)