More than a million Irish people set to contract swine flu in the autumn

MORE then a million Irish people can expect to get swine flu this autumn and up to 2,500 could die as a result, according to the latest report from the European Centre for Disease Control.

Ireland has one of the highest rates of infection per head of population in the EU at present with 164 confirmed cases. Britain has the most cases, with 7,400 of the 10,000 cases reported in Europe so far.

The European Centre (ECDC) says 30% of the population can expect to get the virus and one to two of every 1,000 people who contract it will die. This is higher than the Department of Health’s warning that 25% of the population could catch it.