Medical experts are asking people to get the flu jab, wear masks, wash their hands and be as careful as possible as a ‘super flu’ is now rampant across Ireland.
The President of the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine has warned that a sharp rise in flu cases is placing severe strain on already overcrowded hospitals in Ireland and has urged the public to get vaccinated against the virus.
Professor Conor Deasy told RTÉ News that the current outbreak involves a “particularly nasty strain of flu”, reports RTE.
“Anyone who has had it will attest to it, the patients that I’m meeting, even those I’m able to send home, will say how they feel really lousy and have been feeling lousy for a good few days,” he said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s One O’Clock News, he noted that 39 patients are currently awaiting an inpatient bed, though not all are suffering from flu, reports RTE.
He said that patients in hospital with the flu are kicking themselves for not having had a vaccine in advance, as they are feeling like they “have been hit by a bus”.
Prof Deasy explained that when flu cases surge, hospitals find it difficult to prevent patients from infecting one another and avoid cross-contamination, reports RTE.
“We are appealing to the public that there is still time to get a vaccine and have a flu free Christmas,” he added.
He recommended obtaining the vaccine from a GP or pharmacy, saying it significantly reduces the risk of catching the illness, reports RTE.
Prof Deasy stated that the likelihood of hospitalisation rises sharply if someone contracts flu, but the vaccine takes effect rapidly and offers protection against severe outcomes.
“More often than not, flu patients are able to be sent home from the emergency department, but there are patients that do end up being admitted to the hospital,” he said, reports RTE.
“We have a dedicated ward now at CUH that is over-capacity, filled with complications associated with the flu”.
Kingston Mills, Professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Biochemistry and Immunology, said the healthcare system will “for sure” come under further pressure in the weeks ahead because of the spreading flu virus, reports RTE.
He said that the the strain of flu (H3N2) is a bit more disease causing than previous strains, and that this means it is different from the previous year’s viruses, so immunity from previous infection or having a previous vaccine is going to be less effective.
“The virus has mutated a bit more this year than normally,” reports RTE.
He added that there has been an earlier onset of the disease and the peak will be higher than in previous years and is more transmissible.
“The way the trajectory is going, it will get worse over the next few weeks”, reports RTE.
He said that there were multiple age groups in hospitals and there is flu right across the board, but that 75% of the people in hospital haven’t been vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Nursing Homes Ireland CEO Tadhg Daly has stated that nursing homes are currently in the containment phase regarding the flu virus, reports RTE.
He said that there is a heightened awareness and strong concern in the sector about flu and a potential surge coming, and it may be necessary to have some restrictions if there is a large outbreak.
However, he said ultimately at Christmas, residents want to continue to enjoy safe visits with family and friends, reports RTE.
“The sector is resilient and nursing home staff are very experienced in dealing with infection in general terms, but what we are hearing is concerning,” he said.
“It’s up to everyone across society to get vaccinated and to take sensible precautions in the weeks ahead,” reports RTE.
He added that social connections matter and it is important that the nursing home residents continue to receive visitors, which he described as a priority.
“If someone has symptoms they should not come anywhere near a nursing home,” he said, reports RTE.
Mr Daly added that if someone has an infection or an infection brewing, it could have significant consequences for the older population.
He said that it is not too late to get vaccinated, and he would encourage everyone working in frontline healthcare to get vaccinated as they have a responsibility to those they care for, reports RTE.
He said that it is concerning hearing about a lack of uptake of vaccines this weekend among healthcare workers, as the latest is that among HSE staff, there is about a 27% uptake for health care workers.
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