More than 200 “very sick people” were admitted to Mater Dei as in-patients between New Year’s Eve and 4 p.m. today, the Health Department said.

It said that the current state of affairs at the Accident and Emergency Department of Mater Dei Hospital reflected the overall situation in the Maltese Islands where many people were being affected by seasonal influenza.

Earlier today, the Emergency Nurses' Union warned that it may resort to industrial action unless overcrowding at the Accident & Emergency Department was eased. It said it was concerned about “the shameful situation” at the department.

The union said it had been highlighting the problem of overcrowding and the shortage of beds at Mater Dei and had also warned the Health Department that the problem would escalate in winter.

Without referring to the union's statement, the department said this evening that, at this time of the year, there were peaks in hospital admissions due to chest infections as a result of seasonal flu complications, mainly in frail, elderly or chronically ill individuals.

Chest infections were also often accompanied by a general worsening of the overall health status. This was the same pattern of illness that was occurring across the whole of Europe.

The department said that the management and staff at Mater Dei were doing their utmost to handle the increased number of patients as best as possible and management fully understood and appreciated the increased workload on the nursing, medical and other staff. It was working hard to ensure a smoother patient flow.

Influenza activity in Malta was being monitored by the Public Health Department through the influenza sentinel surveillance system. The current situation ws that influenza-like illness in Malta as per case definition set by ECDC has trebled over the last 15 days as follows:

  • Week 50/2010: 47.6 affected persons per 1,000 population
  • Week 51/2010: 102.8 affected persons per 1,000 population
  • Week 52/2010: 132.7 affected persons per 1,000 population

The department urged the public to take precautions to prevent the spread of flu.

Such precautions included frequent hand-washing and staying home if sick.

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