Labour Health Spokesperson Says the Overcrowded Irish health System is Now Facing Major Flu Crisis - 09/12/2025

We were joined on The Agenda this morning by Labour Health spokesperson Marie Sherlock said the overcrowded Irish health system is now facing a major flu crisis.Speaking today, Deputy Sherlock said:“We understand that some hospitalisations could have been prevented if the enhanced flu vaccine had been made available. The Minister of Health must account for this appalling penny pinching which will have a serious cost to life, quality of life and to scheduled care within hospitals.“Across a series of studies, the enhanced flu vaccine outperforms the standard vaccine. In one sample of 512 persons, the enhanced vaccine was assessed to be 59.2% more effective on average.“The serious rise in the incidence of flu this winter will play havoc with the health service in terms of in-patient bed days, GP vists, medication and on the length of recovery. HIQA tell us that, based on 2010-2022 data, the average number of bed days for an older person with influenza was 9 days," Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.