Irish people are using the web to get quality information and updates on swine flu

The website of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has seen the number of weekly visitors increase by 300 per cent since the WHO declared the Swine flu outbreak a pandemic.
The site typically got 5,000 or 6,000 unique visitors every week – now it gets 16,000.
And it’s good news for Ireland that health professionals, especially, are going to a place with reliable, accurate, and up-to-date information – and a sign that (considering the fact that hpsc.ie isn’t exactly bookmarked on everyone’s browsers) the Irish online community is increasingly discerning and informed when it comes to public health issues.
From the HPSC:

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre’s website – www.hpsc.ie – has seen a 300% increase in visitors since the WHO declared the current influenza outbreak to be an international public health emergency and later a pandemic.
The HPSC website is Ireland’s source of national guidance on pandemic influenza for health professionals said the centre’s director, Dr Darina O’Flanagan.
“A large and concerted effort has gone into making sure that guidance for health professionals and the public is prepared and kept updated in a timely way.
The HPSC website is an important source of information on pandemic influenza and is particularly geared to meeting the needs of health professionals in Ireland.
“hpsc.ie is updated regularly with the latest national and international advice and provides information across a wide range of topics relating to pandemic influenza,” she added.
In addition to information on pandemic influenza, hpsc.ie also provides comprehensive information on every aspect of communicable disease, with detailed information and statistics on all notifiable diseases in Ireland.
Note: Typically in the first four months of 2009 hpsc.ie averaged between 5,000 and 6,000 hits a week. In Late July early August this had risen to an average of 16,000 hits per week.