A Seventh resident dies from flu bug at Buncrana Donegal nursing home
The Nazareth House nursing home in Buncrana above where another elderly resident died today from the flu bug.
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The elderly resident, who had been living in Nazareth House private nursing home, Fahan, near Buncrana, died at Letterkenny General Hospital.
The HSE said it is closely monitoring seven residents at the home who had been diagnosed with the condition and five were showing “definite signs of improvement”.
Another elderly patient died on Friday, but that death was not thought to be part of the flu outbreak.
Over the past fortnight, between March 22nd and April 2nd, six other people – aged in their 80s and 90s – died at the nursing home as a result of the outbreak. The most recent death was certified by a family GP.
No cause of death has been released publicly but HSE North West said on Friday it was of the opinion that this death was “not related to the current outbreak”.
It is reported that up to 14 residents in the care home have influenza and they have been segregated from other residents.
Since the outbreak, residents at the home, which is run by the religious congregation the Sisters of Nazareth, have received anti-viral treatments.
A HSE North West spokeswoman said its public health team, including doctors, nurses and surveillance scientists, continued to closely manage and monitor the situation.
The health executive reiterated its advice that, while flu was usually a relatively mild infection, it could be a very serious illness among the elderly and was a common cause of death in older people.
“People should be aware of the simple measures they can take to reduce the risk of infection. These include covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough and sneeze, disposing of the tissue as soon as possible and washing your hands with soap and water as soon as you can afterwards.”
A spokeswoman said people visiting older residents of nursing homes – including healthcare staff – should ensure their influenza vaccinations were up to date.
A Health Information and Quality Authority inspection team visited the home this week but declined to say when it would publish its report.
The authority was called in to the nursing home when a GP notified the HSE about the flu outbreak on April 1st, after five people had died over a short period.
A report earlier this week from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said that, during February and March this year, the number of older people dying of the influenza A (H3N2) virus had been greater than expected across Europe.
Doctors have suggested the return of H3N2 this year has had an impact on older patients, who sometimes react badly to the flu vaccine. The H3 strain included in the seasonal vaccine given to at- risk people since last September is an imperfect match for the strain of the virus currently infecting patients.
Easter ceremonies to mark the 1916 Rising in Dublin today
The 92nd Easter Rising commemoration ceremony at the GPO on March 23rd 2008.
An estimated 3,000 people attended the annual Easter 1916 commemoration ceremony at Dublin’s GPO today. Led by President Michael D Higgins, dignitaries present also included the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter, and the Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Andrew Montague.
Led by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sean McCann as many as 350 personnel from the defence forces, including the Air Corps and the Naval Service, took part what was the 96th anniversary of the Rising.
Following a prayer by the Defence Forces chaplain Msgr Eoin Thynne the 1916 Proclamation was read by Capt Shane Keogh. The President then laid a wreath in memory of those who died in the Rising, which was followed by one minute’s silence.
The national anthem was played as four Air Corps performed a fly past in four planes.
Among guests at the ceremony were relatives of the 1916 leaders, Chief Justice Susan Denham, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Trade and Tourism Joe Costello, Fine Gael chief whip and Minister of State at the Department of Defence Paul Kehoe, Minister of State for Small Business John Perry, as well as Fine Gael TDs Terence Flanagan and Patrick O’Donovan.
Estonian President Ilves says Ireland faces constant cyber attacks
IRELAND should consider becoming involved with a Nato-sponsored centre for cyber defence based in Tallinn, the president of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, has said during a visit here.
The president of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, recently said Ireland should become involved in a Nato-sponsored centre for cyber defence as Ireland was being "attacked whether you are neutral or not".
Companies were being “sucked dry” by cyber thieves, who access knowledge that may constitute many years’ work and very considerable investment.
The FBI’s top cyber crime investigator, Shawn Henry, has recently cited an instance where an unidentified company had work worth $1 billion (€755,840), which had been developed over a decade, stolen by hackers.
Estonia was one of the first countries to be subjected to a political cyber attack. In 2007 a large number of the country’s major sites were subjected to concerted attacks during a period of tense relations with Russia. Because of this, and the extent to which Estonians use the internet, the country has developed a focus on combating cyber fraud.
A year after the cyber attacks on Estonia, seven Nato countries set up the Nato Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn. While the centre is under the aegis of Nato, non-Nato countries are also involved.
Mr Ilves said Ireland should become involved. “You are being attacked whether you are neutral or not. All of us countries that develop new products and inventions are at risk.”
Western intelligence agencies estimate that information worth up to $1 trillion is stolen annually through cyber crime.
Mr Ilves said countries tended to treat the problem as a defence issue and for this reason don’t share information to the extent they should. What was needed was more co-operation between countries, between the private and public sectors, and within the private sector.
He said it was generally known where most of the cyber attacks were coming from, “even down to the dorms in certain universities”.
However, with certain countries declining to sign up to international agreements targeting cyber crime, there were limits to what the international community could do about it. (China is outside such international agreements).
“It is hard enough to keep just one step behind” the thieves, he said.
The “bad guys” make huge profits from their activities and can attract some very capable people.
Meanwhile the “good guys” get very well paid jobs in business. This made it very difficult for modern police forces to hire the type of people needed to address the problem.
Estonia has a section of its Home Guard where IT specialists, after they have been subjected to security screening, work on a voluntary basis on developing anti-virus software.
Countries that pay attention and co-operate in the fight against cyber crime would “come out ahead”. Those who do not “will lose”.
There were “probably no uncompromised computers in the world”, he said. The headquarters of Skype, which was founded by four Estonians,was being attacked “around the clock”.
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