DUBLIN, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- A total of 34 people have died in Ireland since this winter flu season, said local authorities on Thursday.

The Health Service Executive (HSE), a government body responsible for all the public health services in Ireland, told local media that the current flu season is the fifth worst of its kind in the country over the last 17 years.

The HSE said that since the beginning of this winter flu season there had been a consistent rise in the number of hospitalizations until the last week which witnessed a deceleration in the rate of increase in flu patient hospitalization cases.

This indicated that the current winter flu season, which started about a week before Christmas, might have peaked, said the HSE, adding that the number of GP (General Practitioner)out-of-hours calls relating to flu had also decreased.

Dr Kevin Kelleher, an official with the HSE, said that the current winter flu season in the country has lasted for about six weeks and will probably continue for another six weeks, making it three to four weeks longer than that of last year.

To prevent the spread of flu, the HSE has urged people, especially those in high-risk groups, to get the flu vaccine which itself is free of charge for all the people in the country.