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Twenty-nine people have now died in the UK after contracting swine flu, up from 17 on Monday, the government has said.

It comes as the number of new cases hit 55,000 last week and the NHS has seen a surge in calls and consultations.

Ministers in England have responded by promising the National Flu Service will go live at the end of next week to relieve pressure on hospitals and GPs.

The government has also warned that deaths from swine flu this winter could be between 19,000 and 65,000 in the UK.

Experts said it was impossible to predict exactly, but with a third of the population perhaps becoming infected in the coming months the death toll could rise to such numbers.

The World Health Organisation has also described the pandemic as the fastest-moving one ever, adding it was now pointless to count every case.

The pandemic flu service will allow people to get access to anti-flu drugs by calling in or using the internet.

It will not be available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as officials believe the demands being placed on the health service there are not as great.

In England, the rate of calls to NHS Direct is four times higher than would be expected for the winter, while the number of people in hospital has doubled to 652. Some 53 of these are in a critical condition.

In the worst hit areas, hospitals have reported having wards full of children with swine flu, while GP practices have said they are seeing between 50 and 60 flu cases a day.

Every region of England has seen a rise in demand for services during the past seven days with only Yorkshire and the Humber not now reporting "exceptional" levels.

Four more UK school pupils have been confirmed as having swine flu after being taken to hospital in Beijing.

Four other British and four US pupils from the same trip have been diagnosed, and more than 100 of their classmates and teachers quarantined in a hotel.

China has this year quarantined hundreds of foreign visitors who have shown symptoms of the H1N1 virus.

The affected children are on a two-week cultural exchange trip, and come from several different schools.

In the UK a national flu service will be launched later this week in a bid to relieve the pressure on the health service.