Swine flu cases in Britain rise to 34

LONDON - Two more cases of swine flu were diagnosed in Britain Thursday, bringing to 34 the number of confirmed infections with the influenza A (H1N1) virus.

One of the new cases is a child at one of the five schools which have closed temporarily as a result of the infection, Health Secretary Alan Johnson said.

He said there was not yet any evidence of a ’sustained’ person-to-person transmission of the virus in Britain, he said.

However, it was reasonable to expect cases to increase and the situation ‘could rapidly escalate,’ he warned.