Chief medical officer warns that swine flu may be on the rise again

The incidence of swine flu has risen in the past week in England, the first weekly increase in incidence since late July. Liam Donaldson, England’s chief medical officer, said that although the increase is slight, it may be “the start of an upturn.”

At a press conference on 17 September Professor Donaldson announced that 5200 new cases of swine flu had been reported in England in the past week, up from 3000 new cases in the previous week.

The number of GP consultations each week for flu-like illness rose to 13 per 100 000 population in the week ending …