Swine flu cases in Britain could soar to 100,000 a day by next month, Government warns

The number of cases of swine flu in Britain could soar to over 100,000 a day by the end of August, the Health Secretary warned today.

Andy Burnham revealed the alarming figure as the Government moved the country on to a new ‘treatment phase’ after he admitted it was no longer realistic to try to contain the outbreak.

In a Commons statement, Mr Burnham stressed this was only a projection but said scientists expected to see ‘rapid rises’ in the number hit by the virus.

Lib Dem MP Richard Younger-Ross said it was important that people with swine flu realised they should stay at home rather than going to work or other public places.

He asked Mr Burnham: ‘Could you therefore talk to people such as the churches and others, because churches still encourage people to go to church every Sunday.

‘And we might be sending some of them to meet their maker earlier than we want them to if we take our flu virus and give it to the person sat next to us.’

• Full story at the Daily Mail.

• Posted in England + Wales, Secularism