SWINE FLU has claimed another life in Northern Ireland. The adult patient’s death, which was confirmed yesterday, takes to 17 the number of people with the virus who have died in the region so far.
New cases of infection have fallen, however, and health officials in the North believe the worst of the pandemic may have passed.Since it was first identified last year, the flu strain has hit Northern Ireland in two distinct waves. Government experts said they are hopeful there won’t be a third.
The North’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Elizabeth Mitchell, said: “Throughout the Christmas and New Year period we have seen an increase in the number of calls to out-of-hours services for flu and flu-like illness. Clearly, this was not unexpected given the closure of GP surgeries over the holiday period.
“We have seen a decrease in swine flu detections but other respiratory viruses are circulating and, in particular, there was an increase in detections of RSV which can cause flu-like symptoms.
“Swine flu has now been circulating within Northern Ireland since May 2009. We have seen two waves of infection from the virus and our planning and preparation has meant that the likelihood of a further wave has been significantly reduced.
“This is due in part to the extent in which the virus has already circulated in the community, and also as a result of the very successful vaccination programme in Northern Ireland.”
“We know from experience of previous pandemics that flu viruses can be unpredictable so we cannot completely rule out the possibility of a further wave. We will therefore continue to monitor the situation carefully and adapt our plans accordingly.”
In the Republic, meanwhile, latest figures from the Department of Health show the incidence of swine flu is also continuing to decline.
Rates of infection dropped to 16.5 cases per 100,000 of the population in the past week, down from 21.2 cases per 100,000 the week before. That means there were fewer than 1,000 new cases diagnosed in the past week.
The department nevertheless urged those in at-risk groups to get vaccinated to protect against future cases of infection and a possible second wave of the disease.
There are still 148 people being treated in hospitals in the Republic for swine flu, nine of whom are in intensive care. Some 22 patients with confirmed pandemic flu have died to date. No further deaths were reported in the past week.
The Health Service Executive’s swine flu vaccination clinics reopened this week.
But adverse weather conditions have had an impact on numbers attending. More than 700,000 people have been vaccinated to date and 944 adverse reactions have been reported to the Irish Medicines Board, which says the benefits versus the risks of vaccination remain positive.