Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Nick Palmer (Labour). It was answered by Baroness Primarolo (Labour) on Tuesday, 12 May 2009 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Swine Influenza

Question: What his most recent assessment is of the level of risk posed to public health by the current outbreak of swine influenza.

Answer: It is hard to assess the risk posed by swine flu as the clinical picture remains unclear. There are some indications that the virus may cause only mild symptoms, and that, in some cases, people have recovered without antivirals. However, an overall prognosis for the impact of the virus is still difficult to determine at present and it is still too early for confident predictions about the possible severity of the flu in the United Kingdom.

Secondary information