Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Previous editions
Friday, November 20, 2009
ABOUT 4% of the population have been infected with swine flu, the country’s public health watchdog has confirmed. And it looks as if the initial wave of the pandemic has peaked, the Health Protection Surveillance Centres said.
It also believed a second wave was less likely as more people are vaccinated.
HPSC director Dr Darina O’Flanagan said an estimated 17,000 people contracted the virus in the past week.
The most recent figures represent a reduction of around 10,000 cases compared with figures for the first week in November.
There are 182 people in hospital with the virus, a fall of nine from the previous week, with 20 in intensive care, a reduction of two.
The Department of Health’s chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, told a press briefing at Government Buildings there were no more deaths from swine flu.
Dr O’Flanagan said the European Centre for Disease Control’s (ECDC) "worst-case scenario" was that up to 20% of the population could be infected. It was now believed, however, that the number of people who will be infected in Ireland will be far less than that predicted by the ECDC.
Irish Medicines Board medical director Dr Joan Gilvarry said more than 11,000 pregnant women had been vaccinated.
Dr Gilvarry said more than 100,000 women across Europe had been vaccinated. Less than 10 miscarriages and stillbirths occurred within days or weeks after the vaccine was administered, but no causal link with the vaccine had been established. None of the reports came from Ireland.
Dr Holohan said he was satisfied that there was no connection between the miscarriages and stillbirths and the vaccination.
HSE head of health protection Dr Kevin Kelleher said they were investigating a "handful" of reports that some patients were being charged by a small number GPs for the vaccine. The vaccine, as well administering it, is free of charge.
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