There is "no good reason" for schools to remain closed after the summer break despite fears about swine flu, the Government has announced.

The number of new cases of swine flu is continuing to decline, the Government said yesterday, the day another man died from the virus.

Schoolchildren and their parents should be the first members of the population to be vaccinated against swine flu to best prevent its spread, according to research.

It is "virtually impossible" to predict accurately when a second wave of swine flu will hit the UK, the Government's chief medical officer said today.

If we know a threat is likely, it is irresponsible not to prepare and take basic steps against it. And it is simple community-based efforts that are the most effective. Which is why the public response to swine flu has often been troubling.

A swine flu vaccination campaign will be launched in the autumn starting with pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions.

Travel giant Thomas Cook today said the swine flu outbreak had cost the business around £12.6 million so far.

Demand for anti-bacterial soaps and other products has risen sharply as people try to avoid catching swine flu.

An expected second wave of pandemic influenza which was expected to strike Britain later this year may turn out to be less dangerous than previously thought, according to some of the world's leading flu experts.

TUI Travel, owner of the British holiday companies Thomson and First Choice, shrugged off the recession and the impact of swine flu yesterday as it posted a surge in underlying third-quarter profits.