First research into swine flu to report back in the autumn

The Government will spend more than £2 million on its first research into swine flu, it announced today.

Scientists will examine how pregnant women should be treated, how effective facemasks are and whether schools should be closed to stop the virus spreading. Results from the 14 projects, costing £2.25 million, are due in the autumn.

One study, led by Professor Jonathan Nguyen Van-Tam of the University of Nottingham and the Health Protection Agency, will estimate how long swine flu victims are contagious for.

Professor Nguyen Van-Tam said: "Very little is currently known about the H1N1 virus which makes it very hard to predict the numbers of people likely to catch it and how best to treat them."

The research comes after a survey of GPs carried out for the Healthcare Republic website found 29 per cent of them would refuse the swine flu vaccine. Of those 29 per cent, 71 per cent were concerned that it had not been through sufficient trials.