Flu warning after five deaths

Five British children have died from flu in recent months, leading to fears that a strain of the virus which has already caused widespread illness in Australia could strike again here.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said the Fujian-like strain had been responsible for two deaths of youngsters in England in the last month.

And yesterday the Scottish Centre for Infection for Environmental Health revealed that three children had died from flu, two of which had so far been confirmed as being the Fujian strain, in the last two months.

The HPA urged people to be aware of the symptoms and for anyone over 65 or in the "at risk" groups to make sure they are vaccinated against flu.

The Fujian-like strain which recently hit Australia was described as the country's biggest outbreak for five years and put a severe strain on its health service.

The HPA's latest figures showed that after an unusually quiet three years, the number of flu cases was now rising to what was considered to be normal seasonal levels in England.

The agency said it was still too early to predict whether the numbers will be higher than average this year but flu activity had started earlier that normal.

Dr John Watson, a respiratory expert at the HPA, said: "Laboratory testing so far this year shows that the main strain circulating is a flu A (H3N2) Fujian-like strain.

"This is slightly different to the A (H3N2) Panama-like virus, which has been circulating in the UK in recent years. The current flu vaccine contains the Panama-like virus and is considered to offer some protection against the Fujian-like strain and good protection against other strains that may also circulate."

He added: "Children and adolescents have been particularly affected and there have unfortunately been a few deaths due to flu reported in children in England over recent months."

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