ON THE RISE

Pressure on staff and hospital beds due to increase in RSV, flu and virus cases

THE number of flu and respiratory viruses rose across Galway during the last two weeks of the year and health officials are urging people to still avail of the flu vaccine.

The West and North-West regions have seen the highest rates of flu and RSV cases in the country over recent weeks, with the very young and those aged 65 and over the worst affected.

Emergency Departments, GPs and pharmacies are all extremely busy since Christmas, with patients presenting with a range of symptoms; some the flu and flu-like illnesses, respiratory illnesses as well as viruses resulting in coughs, sore throats, headaches, runny nose and fever.

Overcrowding continues at University Hospital Galway, where there were 74 patients on trolleys on Monday morning – the second highest number for a hospital in the country.

There were 62 patients waiting for a bed yesterday morning (Tuesday) at UHG, 38 being cared for in the Emergency Department and 24 were on a trolley in a ward, according to figures from the INMO, Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

Up until the end of the year, there had been 227 confirmed cases of the flu virus so far this flu season, with a noticeable increase in cases before and after Christmas.

RSV – respiratory syncytial virus – is common at this time of year and usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. While the rate of cases has begun to fall, it remains at high levels with babies aged under a year particularly susceptible and becoming quite ill.

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