Swine flu cases rise as schools open

Swine flu cases have started to rise in England, coinciding with children going back to school, latest figures show.

Last week, an estimated 5,000 people were infected with the virus compared with 3,000 the week before. Most of the new cases occurred in children of school age.

This is the first increase in new cases since schools closed for the summer holidays at the end July.

Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer for England, said: " We don't know whether this is the start of the next big wave that we were expecting this autumn but it is certainly something that's giving us concern."

"It will probably be a week or two before we see whether this increase is sustained."

The number of people visiting their doctor with flu-like illness also increased throughout the country, from 8.9 to 12.9 consultations per 100,000 people. The biggest increase was seen in the 5 to 14 age group.

A similar pattern has also been reported in Scotland where the schools started back earlier. Outbreaks of swine flu have also been seen in at least six schools in Scotland and eight in England.

The number of people admitted to hospital in England also increased slightly to 143, with 23 seriously ill. The highest hospitalisation rates continued to be in children under the age of 5. The number of deaths in the UK due to the H1N1/2009 virus now stands at 79.

The Agency also reported that most illness caused by the virus continues to be mild, but can be severe in a minority of cases.

For the first time in the UK , H1N1 virus resisitant to the drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) has been isolated from two people infected with swine flu.

This article was published on Fri 18 September 2009