Showing World Health Organisation (WHO) graphs about the rise and fall of the H1NI virus around the world, he told his audience that staying informed was the most important thing anyone could do regarding potentially risky infectious diseases. He suggested there may be a lot of under-reporting of the H1N1 virus now in cases where the symptoms are relatively mild. “It seems that a lot more people have had the virus undetected than the WHO thinks and if this is the case, we won’t see a second wave of the H1N1 virus because so many people will have developed the antibodies against it.”

He also questioned the potential effectiveness of a vaccine based on the current strain of the H1N1 virus if a more virulent form of the virus develops. “The real risk is if the virus is transferred back to pigs and from them back to humans again. The current strain has probably been circulating in pigs for 10-17 years, according to a paper in Nature Biotechnology,” said Dr Verkerk.

The HSE has ordered 7.7 million doses of a vaccine against the H1N1 virus and the vaccination programme will be rolled out in the coming weeks, according to a spokesman.

“Yes, the spread of the virus seems to have reached a plateau, but we’re not into the normal flu season yet. We plan to offer the vaccine to those with underlying medical conditions first, then pregnant women and babies and then the rest of the population. As a public health service, we have to hope for the best but plan for the worst scenario,” he added.