Expert tells Brits: Expect a Pandemic by Autumn

The "outer layer" is practising good hygiene, maintaining social distance and shielding people from coughs. If the virus gets through this layer, then we deploy antivirals like Tamiflu, and then the final layer is the vaccine.

"You chuck all of this at the virus; you can't stop it, but you can slow it down," he added.

However, a vaccine may not be ready until October or November, and will most likely only cover about 15 per cent of the population, warned Oxford, according to a Daily Mail report.

Oxford's warning came as the HPA wrote to parents of pupils at Eton that there are now 4 confirmed and a further 32 suspected cases of swine flu at the school.

SHOOT: Small world. I met Prof. Oxford at a Tamiflu launch, and used to live in Berkshire and did a triathlon in Eton on the day Princess Diana died.

clipped from www.medicalnewstoday.com A leading expert has warned that the UK can expect to be hit by a swine flu pandemic in the autumn when students go back to school and university. John Oxford, professor of virology at St Bartholomew's (Barts) hospital in London said on Sunday that the outbreak will strike before a vaccine is available, reported the Guardian. So far, the UK has seen a relatively low number of confirmed cases, but as the weather gets colder in September and October, and students go back to school and university, and workers return from summer holidays, this will give the swine flu virus the "opportunity" it needs, said Oxford. "That's the scenario we should prepare for and that's what we are preparing for," he added. Oxford said the number of sporadic cases that are now unrelated to travel suggests the virus is spreading "silently" around the UK. He said that people should carry on as normal and that he saw fighting the flu as being like defending a "medieval castle" with several layers of defence.