Ireland : Nine more flu deaths but peak may have passed

Via Irish Times :

" THE DEATHS of four more people in the Republic from influenza were confirmed yesterday but the number of new cases of flu-like illness in the community has fallen.

Five more flu deaths were also reported in Northern Ireland, where the chief medical officer warned more people were likely to die, even though it is hoped the number of cases has peaked.

In the Republic, some 7,700 cases of flu have been recorded in the last week, according to figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), down from 9,000 cases a week earlier.

Almost 80 per cent of the cases diagnosed in the last seven days were of human swine flu.

The rate of infection fell from 200 cases to 173 cases per 100,000 of population. However, the rate among younger people has increased significantly, with 213 cases occurring per 100,000 in the zero to four age group."