Swine flu cases double in Britain

The country's number of new swine flu cases almost doubled in a week in the second weekly increase following a summer lull, official date released yesterday showed.

At least 66 schools in England have recorded outbreaks of the A(H1N1) virus since children returned to school at the start of September, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Experts have warned of a second wave of flu as the northern hemisphere winter nears. Pharmacologists have been working on vaccines over the summer, aiming to produce the first usable drugs as early as October.

The estimated number of new cases rose to 9,000 from 5,000 in the previous week in Britain, the hardest-hit country in Europe by the virus. This is nowhere near the peak of more than 100,000 new cases in a week in July.

The number of deaths of people with swine flu stands at 82 in Britain, including 70 in England, nine in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland and one in Wales.

Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson warned that children and their parents should take particular care. "Parents of children with underlying illnesses should consult their doctor," he said.

"Children with flu-like symptoms and whose condition deteriorates should consult their doctor because that might be an indication that they have serious complications of flu or have another serious illness of childhood."