Government's swine flu site taken down by demand
The NHS swine flu website sees 9.3 million hits per hour, causing serious technical problems.
![Swine Flu site](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nCYmMjgdG7RWHF5cDML6dS-320-80.jpg)
The government's swine flu website wasn't exactly the picture of health a day after launching.
Unexpectedly high traffic took out the Department of Health's (DoH) Pandemic Flu Service website shortly after its launch yesterday
The DoH was quick to say the site was technically sound. "The National Pandemic Flu Service website has not crashed," it said in a statement.
"It is experiencing unprecedented demand with 2,600 hits per second, equivalent to 9.3 million hits per hour."
The site, operated by BT, suffered from an abnormal level of traffic caused mainly by public interest, and concern surrounding the subject, said a DoH spokesperson.
A spokesperson at the DoH press office said that BT has quadrupled the website's capacity.
The DoH added that call centres (0800 1 513 513) were still working normally.
Get the ITPro. daily newsletter
Receive our latest news, industry updates, featured resources and more. Sign up today to receive our FREE report on AI cyber crime & security - newly updated for 2024.
Most Popular
Resources
Get the ITPro. daily newsletter
Receive our latest news, industry updates, featured resources and more. Sign up today to receive our FREE report on AI cyber crime & security - newly updated for 2024.