Flu patients in various wards

A spokesperson for the Western Trust said: "Not all patients with influenza or suspected influenza are in one ward area.

"Currently patients with influenza or suspected influenza are being treated in a number of different ward areas, depending on their clinical need."

The Sentinel asked the Trust how it was coping with the recent spike in flu cases in the North West after receiving information from a well-placed source suggesting dozens of patients at the hospital were exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

The source told the paper they believed as many as 40 to 50 patients at the facility were affected.

They also said they believed a man at the hospital had died after presenting with flu-like symptoms.

But a spokesperson for the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) said he could not comment on individual cases and was unable to give figures for the number of patients suffering communicable illness.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: "In situations where there are a number of patients with an infectious illness, patients are treated in isolation including in cohort bays in ward areas as part of measures to prevent the spread of infection.

"There are currently cohort bays in a number of ward areas in Altnagelvin Hospital where there is group isolation of patients with the same infection. Respecting confidentiality the Trust cannot comment on any individual patient's illness."

Flu statistics for the period between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve will not be published by the Public Health Agency (PHA) until tomorrow.

But all indicators of influenza virus activity increased in the week leading up to Christmas day.

GP consultation rates for combined flu/FLI increased from 66.5/100,000 population (updated) in week 50, to 135.4/100,000 in week 51.

The number of influenza A(H1N1) 2009 detections increased from 56 in week 50 (updated), to 129 in week 51. There were 17 influenza B detections whilst Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) weekly detections increased from 17 (updated) in week 50, to 22 in week 51 (29% increase).