Swine flu ‘could kill 65,000’

More than 65,000 people in Britain could die from the swine flu virus in a worst case scenario drawn up by the government.

Yesterday, health authorities revealed 29 people have died of the H1N1 virus and 53 people are in intensive care.

It is not known how many people died as a direct result of contracting the virus, with post mortem results awaited on several victims, including six-year-old Chloe Buckley, who died this week.

According to reports, a six-year-old boy died in Kent last night after contracting the virus.

Sir Liam Donaldson, the country’s chief medical officer, announced plans to create a national service for patients to obtain antiviral drugs over the internet after it was revealed 55,000 new cases had been reported in the last week alone.

Cobra, the cabinet’s emergency planning facility, is meeting three times a week to discuss the spread of the virus after Sir Liam admitted “exceptional influenza activity” in virtually all of the regions in England and Wales.

The London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Islington are among the worst affected, while there are fears that one in two children could become infected when schools reopen in the autumn.