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Two million Scots caught the H1N1 virus during the swine flu outbreak of 2009-10, new research has found.
Around 38% of the population - far more than previously thought - caught the virus, which claimed the lives of 64 people in Scotland and killed 360 across the UK.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh found that almost half the number of people they tested carried antibodies for the H1N1 virus, three-quarters of whom had caught swine flu.
The remainder had either been vaccinated or had caught a similar strain of flu in the past.
Professor Mark Woolhouse of the university's Centre for Infectious Diseases, which led the study, said: "This flu spread very quickly. Fortunately most cases were mild but this also means that they weren't reported.
"Testing for antibodies to flu could be invaluable in tracking future pandemics and targeting vaccination to those groups who most need it."
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Around 38% of the population - far more than previously thought - caught the virus, which claimed the lives of 64 people in Scotland and killed 360 across the UK.
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh found that almost half the number of people they tested carried antibodies for the H1N1 virus, three-quarters of whom had caught swine flu.
The remainder had either been vaccinated or had caught a similar strain of flu in the past.
Professor Mark Woolhouse of the university's Centre for Infectious Diseases, which led the study, said: "This flu spread very quickly. Fortunately most cases were mild but this also means that they weren't reported.
"Testing for antibodies to flu could be invaluable in tracking future pandemics and targeting vaccination to those groups who most need it."
..
