Eithne Donnellan,
Health Correspondent
The National Disease Surveillance Centre confirmed yesterday that a second type of flu in addition to influenza A was now circulating in the Republic.
It confirmed three cases of influenza B over the past week.
The numbers of people presenting at family doctors and hospitals across the State with flu has continued to increase over recent weeks. Dr Joan O'Donnell, a public health specialist with the NDSC, said that influenza B caused a milder form of flu. It had accounted for most cases of flu in the Republic last winter, and it was not unusual to find it circulating at the same time as influenza A.
She said that the flu vaccine was effective against influenza B and gave "some protection" against the current outbreak of influenza A (H3N2) Fujian type, which had caused six deaths in Britain.
Dr O'Donnell has urged those in at-risk groups, including the over-65s and those with heart conditions and asthma, to ensure that they have the flu vaccine immediately.
The NDSC's weekly flu report, published yesterday, showed that the numbers attending GPs with influenza-like illness over the past week had increased to 74 per 100,000 of population, compared to an initial rate of 67 per 100,000 the week before. The report said the majority of influenza cases this season have been in children and young adults and it said detection of it in these age groups was "not unexpected as there has been very little influenza in circulation for the last few seasons, therefore the opportunity for development of immunity has been limited".
In addition, hospital admissions for respiratory tract infections in the South-Eastern and North-Eastern Health Board areas, which are participating in the NDSC's flu surveillance programme, had also increased during the past week. Dr O'Donnell said the fact that cases of flu were continuing to increase was not unexpected. "It's normal that it would increase for a time while the activity is high before reducing again," she said.