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The deadly flu outbreak will become an epidemic and deaths will triple in the UK within two weeks, reveals a projection of official figures. An analysis of data released yesterday showed the percentage increase of people reporting flu-like symptoms to their GP in the home nations. 

A projection of flu fatalities was also made for England, after it saw deaths rocket by 77 per cent in the space of a week as aggressive 'Aussie' and 'Japanese' strains wreak havoc in the UK.  If the current trend continues, MailOnline predicts Wales will hit epidemic levels by next week. England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will follow the week after. The projections have all been plotted on graphs compared to last year's rates. 

Dr Derek Gatherer, from Lancaster University's biomedical and life sciences department, told MailOnline that if the current trends continue then it would become a 'crisis'. 

The new analysis comes as 85 deaths have now been recorded in England and eight in Scotland. If the trend continues, deaths in England are expected to triple by the end of the month. No data exists for Wales or Northern Ireland. 

At least three fatalities have come to light in recent days, and include 18-year-old Scottish girl, Bethany Walker, who died from one of the flu bugs sweeping the UK.

Scores have also taken to social media to describe their ordeal as they battle the virus. They include a London-based taxi driver who claimed he has been left suicidal from 'Aussie flu', while a 29-year-old mother fears her three-week struggle will never end. Currently, Scotland is reporting the highest number of GP consultations for flu in the UK - rising from 46.3 per 100,000 people to 107.2 per 100,000 people.

This is more than double the amount in Northern Ireland (52.6) and almost triple that of Wales (38.9). In contrast, England’s rate is 37.3.