Asthma patients top swine flu admissions
Pregnant women also high on hospitals' intake
Tuesday November 10 2009
ALMOST one-in-eight people hospitalised with swine flu are asthma sufferers, new figures reveal.
The next highest category of "at risk" people include those with chronic respiratory disease followed by patients whose immune system was already reduced due to illness.
And pregnant women account for 6.3pc of those admitted to hospitals after displaying symptoms of the disease.
So far, 37 pregnant women have been admitted to hospital and some of these have had to be placed in intensive care.
Others in hospital with swine flu are patients with diabetes, blood disorders, kidney disease, and chronic liver disease, while four severely obese people have been admitted with the virus.
The figures have emerged in the first detailed breakdown of the underlying conditions of swine flu patients.
Inundated
Not all those who have been hospitalised with the virus have had an underlying illness, although all 14 swine flu deaths have involved people with at least one medical condition.
The figures come as the Health Service Executive (HSE) clarified comments by Health Minister Mary Harney on Friday which suggested that the over 65s and healthcare workers would receive the vaccine from this week. GPs and clinics had to refuse significant numbers of over-65s yesterday who sought the vaccine.
Dr Billy Ralph, a GP in Gorey, Co Wexford, said his surgery was inundated with calls from groups who are not yet included in the first phase of the vaccination scheme.
"It meant that chaos was visited on chaos," he said.
In a statement, the HSE said that from the end of this week parents of children aged six months to five years will receive an invitation to have their child vaccinated in a clinic.
However, this can only be done on a phased basis.
People aged 65 or older will begin to be invited "over the next fortnight".
The current vaccination campaign is still confined to people aged between six months and 65 years who have medical conditions or women who are pregnant.
Dr Brenda Corcoran, a HSE specialist in public health, appealed both to parents of the under-fives and to the elderly to be "patient and wait for their invitation to arrive".
She added: "Everyone in these groups will be offered the vaccination throughout November and December."
The plan is to extend the vaccine to these other groups, but it will be administered in clinics rather than GP surgeries.
"Parents of young children and people over 65 who are not part of the original at risk group should not attend their GP or HSE clinic without an appointment -- invitation letters will be issued over the coming weeks in a planned and controlled way," Dr Corcoran added.
She said those who receive the invitation first will be living near clinics which have the capacity to deal with the extra numbers.
Many GPs remain frustrated because they have used up their first doses and will have to wait until later in the month for more vaccines.
Information is available from www.swineflu.ie or www.hse.ie. The HSE infoline is 1850 24 1850.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
Irish Independent
