UK swine flu cases double in a week

The estimated number of new cases of swine flu in the UK almost doubled this week, raising fears that increasing hospital admissions will put pressure on NHS beds, figures showed today.

The number of deaths of people in the UK suffering from swine flu has risen to 128, with 93 deaths in England, 21 in Scotland, eight in the North and six in Wales.

But Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson said he was most worried by the number of hospital cases, which have risen in England to 506, with 99 in critical care.

The number in critical care is the highest since the pandemic began.

More than half (54%) of deaths have been in the under-45 age group while 77% have been in the under-65 group.

With seasonal flu the majority of deaths would be expected in the over-65s.

One in three deaths related to people who had little or no underlying health problems.

The estimated number of new cases this week was 53,000, “almost doubling” from last week when new cases were estimated at 27,000.

The total number of cases is estimated at 435,000.

The number of cases could peak at 1.5 million people ill in a single week, putting prolonged pressure on the NHS over the winter.