Sharp rise in flu cases

Sharp rise in flu cases Hospitals in England are now seeing very high rates of patients with flu, according to Public Health England figures.

A sharp rise in cases seen by GPs in the past week - up 78% on the week before - suggests it could be the worst flu season for seven years.

But PHE said the current levels of flu were "not unprecedented".

Deaths from flu remained static with 27 in the past seven days.

Around 5,000 people were admitted to hospital with flu in the first week of January, based on PHE figures for 22 out of 137 trusts.

Prof Paul Cosford, medical director from Public Health England, said: "The levels of flu being seen are high and of course that is contributing to the pressures in the NHS, but they are not unprecedented levels." BBC News

See also:

• UK flu levels continue to increase according to PHE statistics Public Health England 
• Syndromic surveillance: weekly summaries for 2018 Public Health England 
• Flu rises again in England putting increasing pressure on general practice services Royal College of General Practitioners
• Why do the majority of NHS staff not get the flu vaccine? BBC News
• Flu deaths soar by 77% in a week, figures show The Daily Mail
• Flu levels soaring with one in five hospital cases suffering 'Aussie flu' The Daily Telegraph
• Flu epidemic will hit within a month if trends continue, new figures show The Daily Telegraph
• Flu cases double as UK faces medium-level epidemic GPonline
• Rate of flu patients placed in intensive care shoots up 65% in a week as 18-year-old dies from disease The Independent