HSE: 120 people could die from the flu this winter

The HSE has warned that up to 120 people could die from the flu this winter.

It said 186 people have been admitted to hospital so far this winter.

Nine of those admitted have had to be treated in the intensive care unit.

Dr Kevin Kelleher said that no deaths have been reported yet: "As night follows day, there will be deaths directly attributable. We'll probably see between 60 and 100 such deaths. That's what we normally see-directly attributable.

"And then we will probably find out later in the year, that there's probably another 200, 300, 400 more on top of that indirectly, so people dying because they got the flu and then died because of their heart disease or some other problem."