England chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson states that NHS organisations should plan for 70% fewer swine flu deaths than previously anticipated

National planning assumptions have been updated in response to improved understanding of the pandemic. These assumptions represent the scenario against which the health service needs to be prepared.

Plans will now work on the assumption that there could be 19,000 deaths. In July, a figure of 65,000 was suggested by government officials.

The figures are based on up to 30 per cent of people catching swine flu and 0.1 per cent of those with the disease dying as a result of infection.

A single jab may be enough to offer protection against swine flu, initial trial results suggest.

Experts believed two doses would be necessary, leaving practices facing a huge burden on top of the seasonal flu campaign.

But if the trial results prove conclusive, many patients may be able to make a single visit to their practice for vaccination against seasonal and swine flu, slashing the likely workload.

The trial, run by the University of Leicester and Leicester Hospitals, involved 100 healthy 18-50-year-olds.

Dr Ian Stephenson, who led the trial, said: ‘Results shows that the serum antibody responses were highest among subjects who received two doses of vaccine, however a single vaccine dose also induced responses associated with protection against influenza.

The results suggest that one vaccine dose may be sufficient to protect against the (A) H1N1 swine flu, rather than two.'