Raigmore Hospital anticipates that the Highland flu crisis could get worse towards the end of January and expects additional cases in February.
The hospital is dealing with “20 to 30” patients at any one time and the public must arrange visits in advance.
Dr. Ken McDonald, associate medical director, said: “It is difficult to predict. Numbers may well increase, may reach a peak towards the end of January before decreasing.
“That is thought to be the likely trajectory. We would still expect cases in February and that is just an estimate but something we must be prepared for.”
He said: “We are really doing all we can, one key feature is identifying people with flu early, at the point of admission, with a screening test to minimise the risk of cross-contamination.
“Very often what we are seeing is patients admitted in the context of other illnesses such as bronchitis and typically they tend to be older or frailer.”
The north and west as well as Shetland and Orkney Islands so far have escaped the worst of the flu outbreak that has engulfed much of the UK.
According to NHS Shetland Public Health said: “We don’t currently have a flu outbreak in Shetland. There are isolated cases as expected at this time of year.”
Orkney said that despite the fact “flu is circulating widely in the community” there is no need for special measures to deal with the situation.
