Doctors were hopeful last night that the epidemic of viral illness which has stretched hospitals to their limit may have peaked.
Information gathered by the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), the Irish Medical Organisation and a number of major hospitals showed that surgeries and wards were still very busy, but there was no significant increase in the numbers of new flu and respiratory cases yesterday.
An ICGP poll of GP practices confirmed a fall in the number of consultations for patients with flu or flu-like symptoms. "From Dublin to Donegal, the rates have fallen, although there was a slight increase in east Donegal, which may be due to patients coming across from Northern Ireland," Dr Dermot Nolan of the ICGP said.
A doctor's surgery in Gorey, Co Wexford, which reported 92 cases of flu-like symptoms on December 27th, reported only three such cases yesterday. "We will have to wait and see if this means it is over," he said.
An IMO spokesman, Dr Cormac McNamara, said anecdotal evidence from colleagues around the State also indicated that the number of flu and respiratory cases was not increasing.
"An epidemic like this can die as rapidly as it started after building to a crescendo, or it can build and last for several months," he said. "We will have to wait and see if we are going to get a second wave from the UK."
The Midland Health Board reported that its hospitals were busy, but no busier than last week.
The general hospital in Mullingar, which has a 57-bed capacity, had 120 patients yesterday. Tullamore general hospital, which has a 44-bed capacity, had 95 patients.
In Cork, five-day wards were now seven-day wards to cope with the overflow of patients. Eighty patients were in non-medical beds.
At the Mater Hospital in Dublin, 36 patients were awaiting beds yesterday morning. Elective admissions were cancelled and a day ward was reopened. A statement issued by nine hospitals in the Eastern Health Board area, said that in addition to the exceptional increase in the number of patients attending for treatment of flu-like illnesses, the hospitals were experiencing an increase in the number of staff suffering from these illnesses.
"The chief executives of these hospitals would like to thank the public for their support and patience during this period and would ask for their continued co-operation in attending the accident and emergency departments only when necessary," the statement said.
Meanwhile, work was continuing yesterday at the virus reference laboratory at UCD to try to identify the other viruses which had combined with influenza to cause the current upsurge in illness. The laboratory manager, Mr Seamus Dooley, said his staff hoped to have some results today.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association warned that surgical procedures which were cancelled in order to free beds for respiratory cases would add to hospital waiting lists. The lists had risen to 37,000 patients.
The Labour Party's health spokesperson, Ms Liz McManus, warned that unless action was taken the additional burden being placed on hospitals would have a serious long-term impact on waiting lists.
A spokesman for the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, defended his performance, noting that he had doubled the number of flu vaccination doses available this year and last year, compared to the number made available when Deputy McManus's party was in government.