THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE suffering from swine flu has doubled in the past week, with over 5,000 flu cases treated.
The rate of new flu cases over Christmas week had also doubled on the previous week.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) said that 33 people suffering from swine flu have been admitted to intensive care this winter, and it expects the “elevated influenza activity” to continue for several weeks.
Twenty-six of those people, including two pregnant women, are still fighting for their lives in intensive care units, the Irish Independent reports. Underlying medical conditions are impairing some people’s ability to fight the flu.
In Britain, 39 people have died from flu this year and yesterday the Guardian reported that a 32-year-old mother has died of swine flu two weeks after giving birth.
No deaths have been recorded in Ireland this year from the flu. Last year, 27 people died as a result of the virus. The HSE recently ordered around 30,000 more doses of the flu vaccine after most of a 650,000-dose stock has been used since September.
The HSE has set up a website, swineflu.ie, providing advice on getting the flu vaccine and tips on how to manage colds and flus at home.
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