Milton surgery would like to remind you to not stop using tissues and washing your hands because, as predicted, when schools re-opened after the summer there has been an increase in Swine Flu cases.

The latest Health Protection Agency
weekly pandemic flu update reports that:

• The rates of flu-like illness and related activity have started to increase in England. The increase was mainly seen in school age children.
• Hospitalisations of people with suspected pandemic flu in England have levelled overall. The majority of cases continue to be mild.
• Two samples from UK patients have been shown to have the genetic change associated with oseltamivir [Tamiflu] resistance. Both were from immunocompromised patients. One has been shown to be resistant, the other is undergoing further tests to confirm resistance. Globally over 10,000 specimens have been tested and 23 have been shown to be resistant to oseltamivir.
• Interpretation of data to produce estimates on the number of new cases continues to be subject to a considerable amount of uncertainty. HPA modelling gives an estimate of 5,000 new cases in England last week (range 3,000 to 11,000).