Swine flu cases continue to fall

An estimated 9,000 new cases of swine flu were confirmed last week, down from 11,000 the week before.

The Government’s chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, said good planning by the NHS prior to the onset of the virus has meant that the number of cases has been generally lower than forecast, adding that the UK had been “lucky”.

Sir Liam, who announced his resignation earlier this week, said the Government’s pandemic flu plans had worked ‘extremely well’ despite fears that the NHS would become overwhelmed by the virus.

He said the country had been able to “fight for every life”’ when it came to dealing with swine flu and, if just one family had been spared the loss of a child or another family member at Christmas, then that was a reason for throwing his hat up in the air.

The number of people who have died from the virus in the UK currently stands at 298, up from 283 in the previous week, while the number of patients admitted to hospital with the virus has fallen from 636 to 523.

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