Health officials are expecting the worst of the flu season to hit the country towards the end of January, though 18 people have already been admitted to intensive care units nationwide due to flu-related illnesses this winter.
The majority of these patients were infected with the A H1NI virus, the same one which caused great alarm back in 2009.
Portugal’s national health helpline also revealed it had received close to 15,000 calls during the first five days of the year due to concerns over flu symptoms.
This figure is up by almost 4,000 on the same period last year, but is explained not only due to what might be a higher incidence of the flu virus, but also a greater awareness of the helpline and its purpose.
Officials have also confirmed that around 1.6 million people have been vaccinated against the flu virus this year.
Hospitals, with what has been a mild winter so far, have admitted that the start of 2016 has been much calmer than January 2015, when hospitals were inundated with people seeking medical assistance due to flu-related illnesses.