A THIRD patient has died as a result of the influenza outbreak at St Ita's Hospital in Portrane, Co Dublin.
The elderly patient died on Tuesday night within days of having been transferred from the long-stay facility to Dublin's Beaumont Hospital.
The deceased was one of a total of eight patients in an old-age psychiatric ward at St Ita's who developed flu-like symptoms between March 6th and 18th. They tested positive for influenza A and were transferred to Beaumont. Three have since died and the other five have recovered.
The first to die was a woman who died on St Patrick's Day within a short time of being transferred to Beaumont. It is understood she had only been in St Ita's for a short period to receive respite care. The second patient died late on Friday night last.
A HSE spokesman said yesterday that infection control procedures were now in place at St Ita's.
"At this time no further cases have been confirmed. Infection control procedures are in place throughout the hospital. Any patient who may display flu-like symptoms will be treated in accordance with these procedures," the spokesman said.
He added that all residents of St Ita's were given the flu vaccine on each year.