The HSE has been forced to admit that their flu vaccine is for a different strain of the illness than the one that has hit Ireland in recent weeks.
According to the Examiner, Tony O'Brien admitted this would put further pressure on the health system which is already suffering from overcrowding in emergency departments.
“An added complication is that the particular strain of flu which has traversed the Atlantic, as it always does each year, is not the strain of flu that was predicted and therefore is not the strain of flu for which we vaccinated the health workers and the general population, so there are particular risks in that area,” said Mr O’Brien.
Liam Doran also raised concerns about the issue and questioned why the issue had not been raised at the meeting of the emergency task force: “I would be concerned if the wrong flu jab has been used, as well as the effects of the turn in the weather.”
This morning, Dr Darina O’Flanagan, Director for the HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre spoke to Newstalk Breakfast about whether the vaccine will be effective.
Ms O'Flanagan said that although the flu vaccine contains protection against three different strains, one of the strains has drifted.
"There is a reduced protection because of that." However, the HSE have stressed it may reduce the time of the illness.
She also stated that those who have received this particular type of vaccine may still contract the virus:
The Health Minister's attempts to deal with the trolley crisis may have been dealt a blow due to the outbreak of flu.
Despite the advice not to go to hospital with the flu the experience of previous years is that people do, therefore adding to the patient numbers in emergency departments.
Leo Varadkar confirmed to the Health Committee this afternoon that there is now an outbreak of flu.
“It is the case now that influenza-like illness rates have risen from 15.5 per hundred thousand to 29 per hundred thousand this week so we are seeing an influenza outbreak," Mr Varadkar said.
However, Varadkar did advise to get the vaccine even though the HSE have warned it may not be the correct strain. It is reported the other strain is still a risk.
“Obviously the advice to that is what it always is – people who are at high risk should get vaccinated, if they haven’t been vaccinated already they still should do.”
Speaking to The Right Hook on Wednesday of last week, Mr Varadakr warned that an outbreak of influenza, as is often expected in mid-January, could worsen the overcrowding crisis in emergency departments around Ireland.
