WHO say its ‘too early’ to dismiss the threat of swine flu

Swine flu may be at its lowest level since the original outbreak, but there have been a further 23 confirmed deaths in England due to the pandemic H1N1 2009 Influenza.

The Emergency Committee of the World Health Organisation (WHO) still say it’s too early to say that swine flu has reached its peak atrocity and that it is ‘highly likely’ the pandemic will be the main strain of influenza during 2010/11.

People in priority groups eligible for the vaccination are still being urged to take it up and protect themselves against the disease and its possible complications.

Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, said: “Vaccination continues to be freely available to all those in designated risk groups and to children aged six months to under five years. It is the best way to reduce the risks of serious complications of pandemic ‘flu in the future.”

The Health Protection Agency estimate the number of cases emerging in the last week to remain below 5,000, the same level it has been for the last ten weeks.

So far, around 149,000 pregnant women and 611,000 children between 6 months and under 5 years have received the vaccine.