Visiting at St James’s Hospital in Dublin has been severely restricted due to an outbreak of flu. In the interest of patient safety friends and family are requested to defer all non-essential visits.
No children will be admitted to the hospital and only one visitor will be allowed at a time. Certain wards may need to be closed to all except for specially approved compassionate visiting.
The hospital’s emergency department will remain open, but people with flu-like symptoms are reminded to attend or phone their GP in the first instance.
Influenza rates were reported to have risen from 15.5 per 100,000 to 29.0 per 100,000 population during the second week of January and are above threshold levels which means flu is actively circulating in the community.
There have been a number of confirmed influenza outbreaks, mainly in residential facilities for the elderly and disabled. Influenza A (H3) is the predominant virus in circulation. Influenza is expected to increase over the coming weeks and circulate for at least the next 6-8 weeks.
A vaccine is available free of charge from GPs for all people in at risk groups, and from pharmacists for everyone aged 65 years and over. An administration charge may apply to people who don’t hold medical cards or GP visit cards.
Anyone who gets flu should stay at home, rest, drink plenty of fluids and use over-the-counter remedies like paracetamol to ease symptoms. Advice, tips, information and videos on getting over flu and other common illnesses are available at a new HSE website, www.undertheweather.ie
