Three more cases of swine flu brings total in Ireland to seven

THREE more Irish people, including a father and his young child, have been diagnosed with swine flu, almost doubling the total number of cases in a single day.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health has confirmed after further tests that a father and son from the west and a female from the east have been diagnosed with the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to seven.

All of the patients, whose identities have not been made public, have recently returned from trips to New York and are aware of their situation.

They are currently being treated at their homes in line with public health protection measures to lessen the risk of any further infections, with none of the new cases connected to those previously discovered. The first case of swine flu, also known as influenza type-A (H1N1), in Ireland was confirmed in early May.

Both the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) have advised people who have visited an affected area and have developed flu-like symptoms to ensure high levels of hygiene and to make initial contact with their GP by telephone if they believe they may have contracted the virus.

“As I have been saying since the start, we have expected further cases so this does not come as a surprise,” said the Department of Health’s chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan. “Both the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive have planned for this eventuality and continue preparations in anticipation of further cases.”

According to the latest update from the World Health Organisation, there have been more than 15,500 cases of swine flu since it first emerged in late April, resulting in 99 deaths.

Of these, 4,910 cases and 85 deaths have been reported in Mexico, with 229 people contracting the virus in Britain and Northern Ireland. The HSE has recently arranged for information leaflets to be delivered to households in order to allay fears of a possible major outbreak, while the chairman of Ireland’s National Influenza Expert Group Professor Bill Hall has described swine flu as “unpredictable” and highly infectious.