Flu could cause 5,000 deaths

UP TO 5,000 people could die, with 14,000 possibly requiring hospitalisation when the next flu pandemic hits Ireland, health experts warned yesterday.

The health service, it emerged, is bracing itself for the massive epidemic by stockpiling enough antivirus medication to treat 25% of the population.

Experts also claim the next pandemic to hit the state could be any A1 virus, and not the current avian influenza.