People with flu and norovirus are being urged to steer clear of University Hospital Waterford and GP surgeries.
The HSE in the South East says both illnesses can be treated by yourself at home, and there's no need to venture out to the Emergency Department or your GP.
The Executive says there's a risk you'll infect others who may be very unwell already.
Half of patients attending emergency departments around the country are turning up with flu.
Dr. Jacinta Mulroe, Specialist in Public Health medicine in the South East, has this advice:
“If you have the flu, the advice is to stay in bed and rest, take fluids and use over-the-counter remedies like paracetamol to ease symptoms. By venturing out to the GP or Emergency Department, you are not only putting your body through a stressful time, you are spreading the virus to people who may be in the at risk groups. Only if you are in one of the at risk categories, or you are an otherwise healthy person who is getting worse a week into the flu like illness, should you seek medical advice from your GP. Remember, there will be sicker, immuno-compromised, and elderly and frail people at the surgery and in our hospitals, for whom exposure to flu could prove fatal, so think before your head out the door.”
