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Britain is having its worst flu season for ten years, report doctors.
In England the number of people going to their GP with flu has risen more than 150 per cent.
The Royal College of GPs estimates more than 31,000 patients sufefred with an influenza-like-illness between January 8th and 14th – an increase of more than 9,000 on the previous week.
One hundred and twenty people have died from flu, the latest figures reveal.
Professor Paul Cosford, Public Health England medical director, said:
“Our data continues to show that more people are visiting GPs with flu symptoms, and we are seeing more people admitted to hospital with flu.
“In terms of hospital admission, this is the most significant flu season since the winter of 2010/11.”
Professor Simon de Lusignan, at the Royal added:
“Unsurprisingly given what we’ve been hearing anecdotally from GPs, rates of influenza-like illness have risen again.
“Whilst flu rates in primary care are still within what we term the ‘medium threshold’, the virus does seem to be affecting patients aged over 65 most, with rates moving into the ‘very high threshold’.
“As ever, flu is unpredictable so it remains impossible to speculate how rates will change in the coming weeks – they may increase further, they may level out or even decline.”
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have also seen increases.
