A NEW MAP has shown how flu is spreading across Ireland this week.
People rushed to doctors' surgeries last week in an attempt to battle the virus, which has tightened its grip on the country in the last week.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has said that overall the flu was at high levels during the first week of January.
Two strains of the virus - Influenza B and A - are co-circulating and there is also more influenza B that is normally seen at this time of the year.
A total of 367 people were hospitalised in Ireland last week, the HSE confirmed.
To date this winter there have been 535 confirmed cases of people being hospitalised with influenza, mostly among the over 65s and new-borns.
There were less than 10 deaths, the report stated.
Below is how the spread of the flu virus looked at the end of December.
Here's how widespread throughout Ireland the flu was in December (Picture: HSE)
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