THREE MORE cases of swine flu have been detected in the State, it was confirmed yesterday.
The new cases, which bring the total number of confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) in the Republic to seven, have been reported in people who recently returned from trips to New York.
The three new cases are in a man and child from the HSE western region and in a woman in the east.
Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer of the Department of Health, said the new cases were unconnected with the previous cases confirmed in Ireland.
He said the three new cases were “being treated at home, and all necessary public health protection measures are being taken”.
He added that the Department of Health and the HSE had been expecting further cases so the latest three did not come as a surprise. “Both the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive have planned for this eventuality and continue preparations in anticipation of further cases.
“In order to help minimise further numbers the department and the Health Service Executive would like to remind people of the measures which can be taken to help personal protection, including using and disposing of tissues and thoroughly washing hands. We would also ask that people who have visited an affected area and become ill with flu-like symptoms make their initial contact with their GP by telephone – and not present at a GP surgery or AE unit.”
The first case of swine flu was confirmed here on May 2nd. That case was of a young man who had just returned from Mexico, where the outbreak is believed to have began in March. All other cases of swine flu in the State since then have been in people who had visited New York.
Some 62 countries have now officially reported 17,410 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection, including 115 deaths, to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Close to 9,000 of these have been reported in the US, and more than 5,000 have been reported from Mexico.
The WHO said yesterday the spread of influenza A (H1N1) in Australia, Britain, Chile, Japan and Spain had moved the world closer to the top pandemic alert level. “We are at phase 5 but are getting closer to phase 6,” Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant director-general, told a news conference.