To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of cases of influenza in the UK in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available. (274751)

Data on the actual numbers of people in the United Kingdom who have contracted influenza are not collected.

Surveillance information on cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) is collected by the Royal College of General Practitioners. Information for the 2008-09 season was collected as rates of new cases of ILI per 100,000 general practitioner (GP) population, on a weekly basis in the flu season from 29 September 2008 to 12 April 2009. The peak weekly rate in 2008-09 was 68.5 new cases of ILI per 100,000 in the third week of December. These levels for the flu season 2008-09 are considered moderate levels of influenza activity. This information relates to England and Wales.