Donegal records the highest amount of respiratory illnesses in the country

Donegal has more than double the national rate of viral infection making it the highest in the country, recent data has revealed. 

The Irish Medical Times analysis discovered that Donegal recorded a total of 2,368 cases of respiratory illnesses last winter, which equates to 1,417 cases per 100,000 people. The average national infection rate is 673 per 100,000 of the population.

Sligo had the second highest respiratory illness rate, which totalled 1,291 recorded cases per 100,000 people. Meath was the third highest recorded with 1,284 per 100,000.

The data analysed for the study covers the winter period from October 1, 2023 to March 2, 2024, detailing three forms of respiratory illnesses - Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Influenza and Covid-19. 

To break down, in terms of influenza, statistically, Donegal had the highest rate of individual illness with 610 cases per 100,000 recorded across the five-month period. This was more than twice the national rate of 272 cases per 100,000. 

Westmeath had the most RSV cases, 409 per 100,000, with the national average of 149 per 100,000. However, Donegal, who recorded 396 cases and Sligo, with 366, were the only other counties to have RSV rates above 300 per 100,000 people.

Waterford had the highest recorded number of Covid-19 cases coming in at 426 per 100,000 and Donegal was only slightly below having 411 cases per 100,000.