A third of school children may have had swine flu, HPA warns

By Sanjay Tanday on the 25 November 2009

Up to a third of school children in hotspot areas such as London and the West Midlands may have contracted swine flu during the first wave of the pandemic, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said.

HPA figures estimate that a fifth of children will have been infected with swine flu (Photo credit: directgov)
HPA figures estimate that a fifth of children will have been infected with swine flu (Photo credit: directgov)

But not all of the children will have displayed symptoms, highlighting the fact that the current pandemic appears to be of a mild strain of flu.

Across the rest of the UK, it is estimated that a fifth of children will have been infected with swine flu.

The latest findings come from a HPA study of blood sera tests carried out among 500 school children in England.

Professor Maria Zambon, director of the HPA's centre for infections, said that swine flu was having a limited impact on the older population because the over-50s have some degree of pre-existing immunity to the virus.

More information about swine flu on our online resource centre

 

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