6800 get illness within a week.

THE number of people admitted to hospital in Scotland with swine flu has reached a record high, figures revealed yesterday.

Thirty-six people with the bug were admitted to hospital last week - the largest weekly intake since the outbreak began.

The figure takes the number of people hospitalised in Scotland since the start of the outbreak to 208 - with 10 deaths linked to the bug.

Estimates suggest around 6800 people caught the H1N1 virus last week, down from almost 13,800 the previous week.

Symptoms Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said it was vital for people in at-risk groups to be vaccinated against the bug.

She said: "This week's figures show a decrease in the number of people consulting a GP with flu-like symptoms and the number of overall estimated cases. "Flu epidemics are unpredictable and weekly increases and decreases are to be expected.

"However, this does not mean we can be complacent about the threat presented by the H1N1 outbreak and it is likely we will see further increases over the next few weeks."

Sturgeon added that H1N1 continues to be a "relatively mild virus" for most people affected.

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VACCINE: Sturgeon