Influenza is not something that should be taken lightly, ­according to a public health specialist who urged the community to take the necessary precautions against the infectious disease.

“People need to be aware it is a killer like other infectious diseases – everyone is scared of meningitis but not influenza and influenza kills many more people every year,” Tanya Melillo, head of the Health Department’s Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit, said.

While Dr Melillo stressed there was no need for alarm, she insisted the public had to take the disease more seriously.

“They need to take the precautions if they do not want to fall ill with influenza. Some could end up in hospital and someone could die as a consequence of it,” she said when contacted.

Swine flu, which caused a pandemic scare last year, has again cocked its ugly head and Dr Melillo reported that a few people had been found positive in the community, some requiring hospitalisation, including intensive care.

Public health director general Ray Busuttil confirmed a 70-year-old foreigner had died of swine flu in Malta this winter. However, he said, this was of no significant alarm as it was a normal trend during the influenza season.

The Health Ministry said 15 cases had tested positive for swine flu this season, including seven that were admitted to hospital, one needing intensive care.

Swine flu, Dr Busuttil pointed out, was no longer a pandemic but a seasonal flu virus. Although it may be more worrying that the H1N1 virus was affecting young people, this group was more likely to fight it off, he said.

The UK, which seems to be the worst hit European country, has reported 17 deaths from flu, including six children and a pregnant woman. The country reported that about 300 people needed ITU care, with only eight per cent of these being over 65 years old, Dr Melillo said

This means that, again, the H1N1 virus is affecting the younger age group and healthy persons. In the UK, it was estimated that one in six people were suffering from flu.

Unfortunately, H1N1 tended to attack healthy young people who did not bother to take the vaccine and, when they fell ill, did not seek medical care and some ended up in hospital, she continued.

This year’s influenza vaccine, she said, covered three strains that were circulating, including, but not only, the H1N1.

Dr Melillo encouraged high risk groups to take the vaccine. These include those over 65, pregnant women, those with a chronic disease and children under five years, who can take the jab for free at the health ­centre.

She also encouraged those who developed influenza-like symptoms to stay at home and to prevent any further spread by washing their hands frequently and sneezing or coughing in a tissue, which should be disposed of immediately.

Over three quarters of the stock of the seasonal vaccine bought by the government has been used, Dr Mellilo said, but the department still wanted more people to take it as it was the only effective way of preventing influenza infection.

Influenza 2010/2011

The swine flu pandemic was declared to be officially over by the World Health Organisation on August 10 but those working in influenza were waiting to see what would happen this winter.

So far, the UK seems to be the worst hit in Europe in the northern hemisphere, probably due to the bad cold spell.

Although Malta has been lucky because of the good weather, the past two weeks have seen a rise in influenza activity, which is monitored every year.

So far, 11 European countries have noticed an increase in influenza activity over the past two weeks. At present, there is not enough information ­available to assess the relative severity of the circulating strains.