The second wave of swine flu has now begun, the chief medical officer (CMO) said on Thursday, as the latest figures showed that swine flu infections are steadily mounting.
The past week has seen 14,000 new cases, a 45% increase over the previous week, with schoolchildren being most affected.
This week has also seen the approval of a swine flu vaccine, which Sir Liam Donaldson, the CMO, expects to be available to at-risk patients later this month:
“The good news is we’ve got the green light to approval of the vaccine at European level and we’re expecting to be able to start administering it in the second part of October.
“We’re pleased that we’re able to start protecting people with underlying illness as quickly as this”, Sir Liam added during his weekly update.
Weekly update
Other hightlights :
- There are 286 people in hospital with swine flu, 36 of whom are in critical condition. This represents a substantial rise.
- To date, 84 people with swine flu have died in the UK. There have been 72 deaths in England, nine in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland, and one in Wales.
- A swine flu vaccine has now received licensing approval, meaning the first doses of the vaccine should be administered in the second half of October.
- There have been 79 school outbreaks (defined as at least 15% absenteeism or a marked increase in cases) since the pandemic began
