Public health doctors are urging people to get the flu jab after it was revealed three patients, including a pregnant mother-of-two, are fighting swine flu at Wexford General Hospital.
So far this winter, swine flu has claimed the lives of four people in Ireland, and according to doctors, all flu levels, and especially swine flu, also known as the B strain, are continuing to rise and likely to persist for up to five more weeks.
Symptoms of swine flu include a sudden fever - a temperature of 38C or above, tiredness, aching muscles, joint pain and headache, and pregnant women and children under two are at particular risk as our the immune system is naturally suppressed during pregnancy. This, doctors warns, leaves women at higher risk of developing complications, such as pneumonia, difficulty breathing and dehydration.
These are more likely to happen from week 27 until the birth and up to two weeks after the baby is born.
According to HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC) the current flu vaccine offers protection against swine flu, and the HSE provides the vaccine free of charge for those in the at-risk groups.
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