A 'flu outbreak in the State would stretch accident and emergency departments "beyond breaking point", the general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) said today.
Speaking on RTE's News at OneMr Liam Doran said the latest estimates were that between 10 and 40 per cent of the population could be struck by the virus.
The National Disease Surveillance Centre warned yesterday that the number of cases of 'flu had more than doubled in recent weeks. It urged all vulnerable people, including the elderly and healthcare workers, to have the 'flu vaccination.
The main strain circulating here is the serious influenza A (H3N2) or Fujian-type strain, which has also hit Britain and other European countries.
Mr Doran said that if a serious outbreak occurred, it would mean the "standing down" of all elective work and that hospitals would have to go on an emergency footing only.
The system and the staff in these departments were already at breaking point, he said. Mr Doran said an influenza outbreak was "beyond thinking about" for this reason.
Staff had striven, despite "terrible conditions" to maintain quality of patient care. Describing the A&E problems as "multi-faceted", Mr Doran said there was an inadequate supply of beds in the system and also inadequate "step-down" facilities in the community. He estimated another 2,500 acute beds were needed to fully meet the needs of the population.