Three more Britons die after contracting H1N1 flu

Three more Britons including two children have died after contracting the H1N1 flu virus, taking to seven the number of people in Britain who have died after catching the infection, health officials said on Monday.

The latest victims, a nine-year-old child from south London and a man and a child from the Kirklees area of West Yorkshire in northern England, all had underlying health issues, the National Health Service said.

The nine-year-old is the second person to die in the capital since the flu outbreak spread from Mexico to Britain in April. A 19-year-old, who was also from south London and had serious pre-existing illnesses, died last week.

"Once again we would wish to take this opportunity to remind the public that for most people this is a mild illness and that they should start to feel better after a few days without needing to go to their doctor," NHS London said in a statement.

A spokesman for NHS services in Yorkshire said it was not yet clear if the virus, known as swine flu, was the main cause of the other two deaths.

The World Health Organisation declared on June 11 that the outbreak of the virus was a pandemic. More than 77,000 people have been infected worldwide, including about 7,500 confirmed cases in Britain.

Most people who have caught the infection have suffered mild symptoms, but in a small minority it has proven more severe.

Health Minister Andy Burnham said last week Britain is projecting more than 100,000 new cases a day of the H1N1 flu by the end of August and will change the way it deals with the virus.

LONDON (Reuters)