The President of the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine, Conor Deas,y on Friday told the Six One News on RTÉ that the peak of the flu virus in Ireland will occur in or around Christmas Day.

While flu can be managed at home in most cases, very young children and those with underlying conditions are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill, with some requiring hospitalisation

The Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry is urging parents to have their children vaccinated against influenza as numbers are set to peak.

The symptoms of flu include a high temperature, aches and pains, cough, nasal congestion for which the advised treatment is paracetamol, fluids and rest.

Last winter, over 4,000 people were hospitalised with the flu, and more than 7,000 required hospital treatment for Covid-19.

HIQA said its health technology assessment found evidence that two types of enhanced flu vaccines may be more effective than standard flu vaccines in preventing cases of flu or flu-related hospitalisation in this age group.

Dr Colm Henry said that vaccination was very effective in preventing serious illness