GP consultations for influenza-like illness fell to 37.7 per 100,000, from 42.8 the previous week.
The HPA's estimate for the number of cases was 84,000, an 8% rise on last week's figure (78,000). The agency has warned that there remains considerable uncertainty about the accuracy of these estimates.
England's CMO Sir Liam Donaldson said that the latest figures could reflect a ‘half-term effect' because many children were not at school last week. Falls in cases were particularly striking in school-age children, he pointed out.
Figures from subsequent weeks will be needed to see whether rates are really beginning to fall, he said.
