A national strategy to prepare the State for a worldwide flu epidemic has been sanctioned by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin.
The World Health Organisation has warned that a flu pandemic (a universal epidemic) is inevitable and has advised all countries to put a preventive strategy in place.
Mr Martin confirmed last night that a steering group to draft a detailed action plan to prevent a potential health disaster was to be established. Prof William Hall of the Virus Reference Laboratory in UCD agreed to chair the high-powered committee which will be made up of health board representatives and doctors.
Mr Martin is to ask the committee to devise a plan to cope with the more regular annual flu and flu-like epidemics similar to the outbreak which affected thousands over the Christmas period.
There have been three flu pandemics in Ireland in the last century, in 1918, 1958 and 1967. The 1918 outbreak killed 40 million worldwide; in Dublin the death rate was 406 in every 100,000. A total of 18,376 people died on the island of Ireland between October 1918 and March 1919 when the virus arrived, carried by passengers on trains and mail-boats.
Unlike many epidemics, victims tended to be young and vigorous, mostly aged between 15 and 45, or younger than five.
Two years ago a worldwide flu epidemic was narrowly avoided when every chicken in Hong Kong was slaughtered after a flu-like virus affecting poultry became rampant.
The WHO says another flu pandemic is inevitable, and experts say this could take 100 million lives.
The Minister told The Irish Times last night that lives would be lost and severe pressure would be put on health services if Ireland experienced such a pandemic.
The committee will ask each health board area to develop a plan, and there will be input from the Northern Ireland health authorities, the Minister said.