AT least three flu type viruses, as well as the actual Influenza A virus, are doing the rounds at the moment, filling doctors' surgeries and depopulating workplaces.
Since the end of November UCD's Virus Reference Laboratory has tested 240 samples of either throat washings or blood for either a virus or a significant number of antibodies. Influenza A was diagnosed in 45 patients. This compares with only a few cases last year, according to a spokesman for the laboratory.
This is a virus for which there is a vaccine, and vulnerable people, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, are urged to get it if they have not already done so.
The other viruses identified were the respiratory syncytial virus, which, according to the spokesman, is an "annual visitor" and mainly affects children micro plasma pneumonia, which is always with us and the adeno virus, described as a "para influenza".
All of these produce symptoms which people associate with flu. However, there is no vaccine yet for them, and, because they are viruses, antibiotics are completely ineffective.
A spokeswoman for the Eastern Health Board said the vast majority of those afflicted never became statistics, as their doctor did not consider their condition sufficiently serious to warrant testing to identify the virus. The figures for those tested by the UCD laboratory are only the "tip of the iceberg", she said.
This is borne out by a number of general practitioners. Dr John O'Keeffe, a Dublin GP, said he never remembered such a busy Christmas and New Year. He had noticed about four types of "a viral yoke" being brought to the surgery.
One brought aches and pains symptoms, another came with a sore throat, sinus and chest infections, and a third, which particularly affected children, was accompanied by coughs which "went on and on." But "we are not seeing that many of what I would describe as flu."
There was no sign of the illness petering out, he added. "There were five people here with it this morning."
Dr Henry Finnegan of the Irish Medical Organisation said that his surgery had been much busier than expected for this time of year. "I had the busiest St Stephen's Day in 10 years."
He pointed out that there was little that doctors could do for viral infections, and repeated the advice for people affected to stay indoors and take aspirin or paracetamol, and warm drinks. However, a lot of people got secondary infections, such as sinusitis or respiratory tract infections, as a result of being debilitated by the flu, and then needed treatment with antibiotics, he said.
While it is difficult to establish the numbers affected, as there is no central agency which would have the figures, both doctors and employers report a significant increase in people being off work with flu type symptoms.
According to IBEC, which does not compile overall figures for absenteeism, "the absenteeism appears to be quite significant and considerably worse than last year's".
The Department of Social Welfare reports an increase in those claiming sickness benefit as a result of being off work for more than three days. Tlie increase in new claims per week varies over the past six weeks between 10.7 (for the week ending November 25th) and 41 per cent (for the week ending December 23rd), but overall they are up by more than 20 per cent.
While such claims cover all types of illnesses and accidents, it is highly likely that most of the increase at this time of year is due to the flu type viruses.