Irish swine flu cases hit 500 a week

AT least 500 people in Ireland are contracting swine flu every week, the latest briefing from the Department of Health reveals.

The figure is based on weekly reports from 50 GP practices around the country as part of a national influenza monitoring network.

It was also confirmed that two people are being treated in intensive care units, including a man in his 30s who is critically ill in St James’s Hospital in Dublin.