Spread of influenza sees number of people attending Southdoc up 10% on last year
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The spiralling spread of influenza saw an almost 10% increase in people attending Southdoc out-of-hours GP services over the Christmas period compared to the same days last year.
Doctors across Munster are again urging people to get the flu vaccine as patient numbers soar.
Overall Southdoc GPs saw 9,173 patients in their Cork and Kerry clinics with most coming on five days including Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day.
Dr Gary Stack, Southdoc medical director and a GP in Killarney, said this was mainly driven by respiratory illnesses including flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).
“On those five days the figures this year were 6,740 and last year it would have been 6,151. That’s almost 10% extra,” he said.
Some 11% were referred to hospital with 89% treated by the Southdoc doctors.
“We saw about 550 extra patients on those days,” he said with doctors offering longer hours.
He still urged anyone worried about their health to contact Southdoc.
“We had 70% of patients seen within three hours of making a phone call,” he said. “So we were still getting through them.”
Dr Stack advised anyone having difficulties getting through to wait 30 minutes and try again.
He focused on the flu vaccine as a crucial preventative measure based on his involvement with an annual flu data project in Ireland.
“In 30 years I’ve been doing it I can’t recall any patient with the flu who had been vaccinated,” he said. “I can’t recall any patient who had been vaccinated who actually got the flu.”
At the Mercy University Hospital emergency department Dr Darren McLoughlin said they have seen “a significant increase” of patients with flu and covid-19.
“Many patients have had to be admitted and some required treatment in our intensive care unit,” he said.
He warned they are expecting “a significant rise” in patient numbers over the next few weeks. “This is going to put a significant pressure on our hospitals but there is something we can do about it,” he said.
Describing the flu and covid-19 as “potentially preventable” illnesses, he also urged people to get vaccinated.
The Public Health Midwest unit covering Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary has recorded “at least 396 flu cases” since Sunday.
This is the highest weekly incidence so far this winter, a spokesman said.
“It is also still not too late” for people to get the flu vaccine, he stressed especially children and older people."
In a further sign of ongoing pressures, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation counted 538 patients without a hospital bed on Friday.
Some 96 waited at University Hospital Limerick and 68 at Cork University Hospital making them among the most overcrowded again.
While still extremely high, delays have dropped since 931 people were in this position on January 3 2023, a crisis which led to changes in many hospitals.