Virus infection is the commonest cause of a sore throat and the seasonal surge of upper airway infections is the likeliest cause.

Easter fell on March 31 this year, compared with last year's April 15, giving last month's clothing sales the benefit of a seasonal surge.

Revisions can be especially large for December, when retailers are swamped and the statistical adjustments to take account of the normal seasonal surge loom very large.

Although playgrounds, child care and more rapid and effective means of responding to trauma have significantly reduced the overall mortality, the seasonal surge in "city children" trauma persists.

There are a couple of other reasons for the seasonal surge, including the availability of television stars, who are generally on hiatus during the summer.

Before the cold snap set in this week, hog prices were helped by a seasonal surge in wholesale demand for hams.

There's an obvious seasonal surge of spirit during the holidays.

(Ages 3 to 7) However mindful one is of the true spirit of the year-end holidays, it's still easy to get completely swamped in the seasonal surge of capitalism.

Other goods posted a seasonal surge.

On Grafton Street, one of central Dublin's main shopping streets, evidence of the usual seasonal surge in spending has not been hard to detect.