Flu deaths in UK rise to 50
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Jan 6, IRNA -- Fifty people across the UK have died from flu so far this winter, according to the latest figures from the Health Protection Agency Thursday.
The number has increased by 11 in the past week and includes 45 who have died from swine flu and five with another strain, flu type B, since the outbreak in October.
The deaths are mostly among children and young adults, with five cases in the under-fives and eight cases among those aged five to 14. Another 33 cases are in people aged 15 to 64.
The increase comes as Prime Minister David Cameron admitted that some hospitals and doctors are running low on the vaccine to treat the virus.
Cameron said urgent discussions were being held about how to build up supplies while suggesting that older stocks of the vaccine could be used to plug the gap.
In 2009, the previous government planned to inoculate the entire population after the first outbreak of swine flu hit but plans were dropped when the expected epidemic did not materialise.
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