UK Swine Flu Cases Approach 800

The number of swine flu cases in the UK has risen to 797.

A further 47 people in Scotland, 42 in England and one in Northern Ireland have been diagnosed with the virus, said health officials.

Meanwhile an adult patient with the H1N1 virus is recovering in intensive care in Birmingham City Hospital.

And the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a sharp increase in cases in Australia may mean the infection has become a pandemic.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said there were currently 607 possible cases of swine flu still under investigation in UK laboratories.

The majority of new confirmed cases in Scotland – which now has a total of 311 – are in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

Ten people are being treated in hospital and three further healthcare workers have been confirmed, taking the total of NHS staff affected to 11.

Nineteen of the new cases in England are in the West Midlands, where four schools have been closed following outbreaks among pupils.

The HPA said on Tuesday that five schools were currently closed in England, while the Scottish government also reported five full closures.

Of the remaining new cases in England, 14 are in the North East, six are in London, two are elsewhere in the South East and one is in the East Midlands.

More than 1,200 people have contracted the virus in Australia – none fatally.

Officials from the WHO are now trying to establish whether a large-scale, community-wide outbreak has developed in the state of Victoria.

Second Birmingham School In Swine Flu Outbreak

Another inner-city Birmingham primary school has been closed after being hit by an outbreak of swine flu.

Birchfield Community School on Trinity Road, Aston, which will be shut for a week, is the fifth city school to be hit by the virus and the third to be closed this week.

The closure of the school, which also has 116 full and part-time pre-school pupils, comes as three further cases of the H1N1 virus in the West Midlands were confirmed last night by the Health Protection Agency.

No-one was available for comment at Birchfield Community School last night, but a statement on the school’s website read: “There has been a confirmed case of swine flu in our school community, and there are a number of pupils who are unwell with influenza-type illness.

“On the advice of the Health Protection Agency, the decision has now been made to close the school, from the end of the school day today. It will re-open on Wednesday 17th June 2009.

“The reason for this closure is to try to allow those children who are unwell to fully recover, and prevent any possible further spread between pupils.”

The school also said while close contacts of the case had been identified and “appropriate actions” had been taken, parents should contact their GP or NHS Direct for advice if their child became ill.

The latest outbreak follows four cases of the virus which were confirmed at Heathfield Primary, in Heathfield Road, Handsworth, yesterday.

Heathfield Primary will remain closed until Monday, along with St James Primary, in Sandwell Road, also Handsworth, where a further case was also identified yesterday.

On Monday, it was revealed that two cases have been linked to Hollyhead Secondary School, in Handsworth, although it has remained open. All affected schools, with the exception of Birchfield Community School, are near to Welford Primary, the scene of the UK’s largest outbreak where 96 cases have been confirmed.

Welford Primary was closed for more than a week, but reopened after the half-term break.

Today, the HPA said there was “no way” of knowing how many cases have come as a direct result of contact with pupils, parents and staff at Welford Primary.

The number of cases in the West Midlands now stands at 142 – the highest number of cases in the country.

Number Of UK Swine Flu Cases Reaches 621

The Health Protection Agency has confirmed a further 29 cases of swine flu in England bringing the total number of UK cases to 621.

Of the new cases, 23 are in the West Midlands, four in the South East and two in the North West.

As well as 426 confirmed cases in England there have been 189 people in Scotland diagnosed with the virus, four in Northern Ireland and two in Wales.

However, there are also a further 523 possible cases under investigation.

The news of more cases comes after leading scientist Professor Hugh Pennington, a bacteriologist at Aberdeen University, warned that the number of people with the illness could be twice as many as the official total.

So far the World Health Organisation has had reports of more than 25,000 cases of swine flu in 73 countries and at least 139 have died from swine flu, a majority in the US and Mexico.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “The localised cases of swine flu found in the UK have, in the majority of cases, not been severe and we have not seen evidence of widespread community transmission.

“But we must not be complacent, it is right to prepare for the possibility of a global pandemic.”