No real flu here yet but plenty of lookalikes

THERE are still no confirmed cases of flu in the Republic, although doctors are reporting a recent rise in the number of respiratory infections, according to the virus reference laboratory in UCD.

A spokesman said that many more samples would be tested in the coming days, which would give a better picture of prevalent infections. "There seems to have been a surge in the number of respiratory-style infections being dealt with by GPs, but these could be anything."

The Irish Medical Organisation confirmed that doctors were seeing an increase in cases which looked like flu. "Anecdotally, it seems there has been an increase in the prevalence of flu-like symptoms, mainly in the Eastern Health Board area", said an IMO spokesman, Dr Henry Finnegan.

He criticised the absence of official arrangements for sampling, which he said made it difficult for the virus reference laboratory to present a full picture, and he called on the Minister for Health to establish a centre for communicable disease control to co-ordinate this work.

The likelihood of a flu outbreak following the return of emigrants at Christmas was not as important a factor as in previous years because of the general increase in international travel. But Dr Finnegan said that the likelihood of droplet infection was much greater at Christmas, given the numbers of people who come together to attend communal social and religious events.

In the UK, according to the virus reference laboratory, the pattern so far has been of a small number of influenza A infections and a smaller number of the B type. Influenza A has traditionally been more likely to cause major outbreaks, the spokesman added, "but the vaccines we have are corresponding fairly closely to what seems to be out there".

The EHB stated that there were no known cases of flu in the region as of yesterday, although a spokeswoman pointed out that there would be a delay of some days between a person contracting the virus and laboratory confirmation of this.

There was popular confusion between the common cold and flu, she added. "But there doesn't seem to be a flu around, despite what people may think."