A SENIOR health official was today due to update politicians on the latest efforts to control swine flu.

Graham Urwin, the chief executive of NHS Stoke-on-Trent, will brief city council members at the monthly councillors' forum meeting.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at the Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke, from 2pm.

Mr Urwin is expected to present a report on the latest numbers of swine flu cases in the city, as well as the primary care trust's strategy for coping with the pandemic if the situation worsens over the winter.

Last week, the Government revised its estimate of likely fatalities from swine flu down from 65,000 to between 3,000 and 19,000 across the UK.

But health chiefs expect the current number of cases to soar after children return to school this week.