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Britain's toll from the deadly swine flu virus hit 27 today as nine new cases were confirmed by the Health Protection Agency.
Seven children were among the latest sufferers diagnosed with the killer disease.
Five were at the same school, Alleyn's School, in Dulwich, south east London, which has become the fourth closed due to the outbreak.
Two other children who tested positive are siblings based in London and are close contacts of a previous case, the HPA said.
The other two infected are adults, one from London and another from the West Midlands, who recently returned from Mexico.
A quarantine officer disinfects the carpet on an plane arriving from Chicago at Incheon international airport in Seoul
Taking no chances: A quarantine officer disinfects the carpet on an plane arriving from Chicago at Incheon international airport in Seoul
The leap came hours after the Government claimed the worst of the killer outbreak may be over.
Despite fears a second 'wave' of the killer virus could erupt later this year, Hilary Benn admitted the disease looks less serious than first thought.
The Environment Secretary said it was 'relatively mild and responds well to treatment here in the UK so far but we have got to remain vigilant'.
'It's best to play safe in relation to this. We are still not absolutely sure what it is that we are dealing with. The truth is we just don't know,' he said.
The 'biggest worry' was that the H1N1 virus could mutate, Mr Benn said, so what might seem like an over-reaction was 'the right thing to do'.
'We're just going to have to see how it goes,' he added.
Two girls, including a pupil at an independent girls' school, were the latest confirmed cases of swine flu in Britain yesterday.
The 14-year-old, who attends South Hampstead High School in North London, caught the virus from somebody who had travelled to Mexico.
Antiviral drugs have been offered to her year group, special arrangements are being made for exams, and the school will be closed until at least Thursday.
South Hampstead High School
The 14-year-old is a year nine pupil at South Hampstead High School
The new cases come as a suspected victim of swine flu died at a hospital in southern Turkey.
Although officials claim the worst may be over, there are fears that the virus could return in a second, more deadly wave during the winter flu season.
Experts tracking swine flu say the spread has mirrored the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918 - which killed a relatively small amount of people before returning in the colder autumn months and claiming 50million victims worldwide.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: 'Our evidence from all previous pandemics is that you get two phases. You get a first wave that is often very mild and then you get a much more serious wave that comes along in the autumn and the winter.
'So we have to not just deal with this outbreak now, but prepare, perhaps, for a second phase further down the line.'
The new UK diagnosis will raise concerns because it is the third time someone in the UK has contracted the virus without first travelling to Mexico or the U.S.
Graeme Pacitti, 24, from Falkirk, and Barry Greatorex, 43, of Chipping Sodbury in South Gloucestershire were the first. Both have been responding well to treatment.
* A man has passed swine flu to a pig, it was confirmed last night. A herd in Alberta, Canada, apparently caught the virus from a carpenter who recently travelled to Mexico.
Officials believe this is the first time it has been transmitted from a human to a pig. It's rare but we have said from the beginning of this flu outbreak that this might happen,' Joseph Domenech, of Canada's food and agriculture organisation said. 'We are concerned that this happened but we are not panicking. It just reinforces the principle that surveillance of pigs must be intensified.' It is not known how the flu was transferred to the pigs.
The second English case announced yesterday, an 11-year-old girl from Wandsworth, South West London, had visited the U.S.
A third victim is a man from Ayrshire who flew back from the U.S. last week.
One of the first people to fall ill in the UK has now spoken out about her confused treatment by doctors who seemed not to have a clear idea how to handle the virus.
Kate Corbett, 29, was out shopping in London last week because she had been told she was find to go outside but days later has been quarantined in her home.
The Australian journalist, who is based here, said: 'The most frustrating thing is the conflicting advice I have received from health professionals.
'Initially, once I returned from Mexico with what I thought was a bit of a cold, I was told to stay indoors until my symptoms subsided, a day later I was told I was fine to go out as I had no temperature and therefore was clear of swine flu, then a couple of days on I was ordered back inside after my friend tested positive for H1N1.'
Writing in the Independent, she added: 'I am happy to go along with whatever advice doctors give me but when it changes each time I talk to a new health professional it is hard to know who to believe and what to do.'
Doctors and nurses had been doing their best to help but were following advice from 'above' which had not been properly formulated, she claimed.
'It feels like a whole lot of panic over nothing,' Miss Corbett continues. 'I would not have even though about going to my GP about my sniffly nose and cough until I heard the news about swine flu last weekend. The last cold I had was far worse than this one.'
Her account came as it emerged ministers have spent ?7million in one week on leaflets, posters and adverts advising people how to avoid swine flu.
The cost of the publicity blitz - which tells readers to use tissues and wash their hands regularly - was revealed as the tally of confirmed British cases rose to 18.
Another 716 possible cases are under investigation.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ew-cases-children-diagnosed-killer-virus.html
Seven children were among the latest sufferers diagnosed with the killer disease.
Five were at the same school, Alleyn's School, in Dulwich, south east London, which has become the fourth closed due to the outbreak.
Two other children who tested positive are siblings based in London and are close contacts of a previous case, the HPA said.
The other two infected are adults, one from London and another from the West Midlands, who recently returned from Mexico.
A quarantine officer disinfects the carpet on an plane arriving from Chicago at Incheon international airport in Seoul
Taking no chances: A quarantine officer disinfects the carpet on an plane arriving from Chicago at Incheon international airport in Seoul
The leap came hours after the Government claimed the worst of the killer outbreak may be over.
Despite fears a second 'wave' of the killer virus could erupt later this year, Hilary Benn admitted the disease looks less serious than first thought.
The Environment Secretary said it was 'relatively mild and responds well to treatment here in the UK so far but we have got to remain vigilant'.
'It's best to play safe in relation to this. We are still not absolutely sure what it is that we are dealing with. The truth is we just don't know,' he said.
The 'biggest worry' was that the H1N1 virus could mutate, Mr Benn said, so what might seem like an over-reaction was 'the right thing to do'.
'We're just going to have to see how it goes,' he added.
Two girls, including a pupil at an independent girls' school, were the latest confirmed cases of swine flu in Britain yesterday.
The 14-year-old, who attends South Hampstead High School in North London, caught the virus from somebody who had travelled to Mexico.
Antiviral drugs have been offered to her year group, special arrangements are being made for exams, and the school will be closed until at least Thursday.
South Hampstead High School
The 14-year-old is a year nine pupil at South Hampstead High School
The new cases come as a suspected victim of swine flu died at a hospital in southern Turkey.
Although officials claim the worst may be over, there are fears that the virus could return in a second, more deadly wave during the winter flu season.
Experts tracking swine flu say the spread has mirrored the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918 - which killed a relatively small amount of people before returning in the colder autumn months and claiming 50million victims worldwide.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: 'Our evidence from all previous pandemics is that you get two phases. You get a first wave that is often very mild and then you get a much more serious wave that comes along in the autumn and the winter.
'So we have to not just deal with this outbreak now, but prepare, perhaps, for a second phase further down the line.'
The new UK diagnosis will raise concerns because it is the third time someone in the UK has contracted the virus without first travelling to Mexico or the U.S.
Graeme Pacitti, 24, from Falkirk, and Barry Greatorex, 43, of Chipping Sodbury in South Gloucestershire were the first. Both have been responding well to treatment.
* A man has passed swine flu to a pig, it was confirmed last night. A herd in Alberta, Canada, apparently caught the virus from a carpenter who recently travelled to Mexico.
Officials believe this is the first time it has been transmitted from a human to a pig. It's rare but we have said from the beginning of this flu outbreak that this might happen,' Joseph Domenech, of Canada's food and agriculture organisation said. 'We are concerned that this happened but we are not panicking. It just reinforces the principle that surveillance of pigs must be intensified.' It is not known how the flu was transferred to the pigs.
The second English case announced yesterday, an 11-year-old girl from Wandsworth, South West London, had visited the U.S.
A third victim is a man from Ayrshire who flew back from the U.S. last week.
One of the first people to fall ill in the UK has now spoken out about her confused treatment by doctors who seemed not to have a clear idea how to handle the virus.
Kate Corbett, 29, was out shopping in London last week because she had been told she was find to go outside but days later has been quarantined in her home.
The Australian journalist, who is based here, said: 'The most frustrating thing is the conflicting advice I have received from health professionals.
'Initially, once I returned from Mexico with what I thought was a bit of a cold, I was told to stay indoors until my symptoms subsided, a day later I was told I was fine to go out as I had no temperature and therefore was clear of swine flu, then a couple of days on I was ordered back inside after my friend tested positive for H1N1.'
Writing in the Independent, she added: 'I am happy to go along with whatever advice doctors give me but when it changes each time I talk to a new health professional it is hard to know who to believe and what to do.'
Doctors and nurses had been doing their best to help but were following advice from 'above' which had not been properly formulated, she claimed.
'It feels like a whole lot of panic over nothing,' Miss Corbett continues. 'I would not have even though about going to my GP about my sniffly nose and cough until I heard the news about swine flu last weekend. The last cold I had was far worse than this one.'
Her account came as it emerged ministers have spent ?7million in one week on leaflets, posters and adverts advising people how to avoid swine flu.
The cost of the publicity blitz - which tells readers to use tissues and wash their hands regularly - was revealed as the tally of confirmed British cases rose to 18.
Another 716 possible cases are under investigation.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ew-cases-children-diagnosed-killer-virus.html