SWINE flu cases in the north west have gone up for the fourth week in a row.

The number of people treated in hospital is 62 up from 54 a week ago, while the number of anti-virals collected in the region has increased from 1,306 on September 29, to 1,501 on Wednesday.

There have been 10 deaths as a result of the outbreak so far, but health leaders say the majority of these people had underlying health conditions and that the virus is mild to moderate for most people affected.