The Netherlands in in the grip of a mild flu epidemic, the Dutch health research institute Nivel said on Wednesday.

Last week the equivalent of 61 people in 100,000 reported to their doctor with flu-like symptoms. The week before the figure was 58 in 100,000.

There is an official epidemic when the threshold of 51 cases per 100,000 inhabitants are reported in two successive weeks and tests prove that flu is the cause.