Health bosses were today bracing themselves for more cases of swine flu at a school close to the Black Country border where 44 people have been affected.

The outbreak of swine flu at Welford Primary in Handsworth, Birmingham, has swelled the number of cases in the UK to 184. Newly-confirmed cases involve 41 children and three adults – all from the primary school – and health bosses are expecting the figure to rise.

The school, in Welford Road, which has more than 400 pupils and 60 other children in its nursery was forced to close for half-term a day early last week after the first child fell ill. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said there was “evidence of respiratory illness throughout the school community” at Welford School in Handsworth.

Parents of all pupils were contacted over the weekend. They were advised either to attend the school over the weekend to collect anti-viral medication or to receive medical attention at home.

The HPA was alerted by the school last week after the primary reported a “higher than usual” number of pupil absences due to illness, which the agency investigated.

On the Welford Primary website the school announced it is organising a “deep clean” of the school premises.

A HPA spokeswoman said all the confirmed cases were being treated with anti-viral drugs and were responding well to treatment.

The spokeswoman said: “There are still a number of laboratory results outstanding and the numbers of confirmed cases at the school are expected to rise.”

The news comes just over two weeks after the first case of swine flu was confirmed in Sandwell on May 6.

Health chiefs were due to confirm today whether a critically ill man in Scotland is a victim of swine flu. The 37-year-old man being cared for in a Glasgow hospital has been described as a “highly probable” case.