The Chief Medical Officer for England has said that a ‘lucky break’ has slowed down the spread of swine flu, allowing health officials more time to roll out the vaccination program.

Sir Liam Donaldson said that so far the epidemic is proving to be a ‘slow burner’ and suggested that it was possible that the virus might peak at a lower level than previously predicted, as well as peaking earlier.

In a press conference, he said that the slow escalation of the influenza virus would allow doctors to get the vaccination program well under way before too many people fell ill and was hopeful that if there was the possibility that the flu might peak again, as happened in the pandemic of 1968, this might be avoided completely.

Though experts had been expecting the rates of infection to double week by week as the second wave got under way, so far the rate of increase has been well below this, with 18,000 new cases of the virus reported, compared to 14,000 the previous week.

It has been suggested that the slower-than-expected infection rate could be due to over 65s previously having been exposed to a similar influenza strain in the 1950s, as well as immunity having developed amongst those who were exposed over the summer, particularly children of school age.