Cherie Booth has pulled out of receiving an honorary degree at Liverpool Hope University because she has suspected swine flu, BBC reported.
The former PM Tony Blair's wife was due to be honoured with a Doctor of Laws for her work in human rights and her support for the university.
It is unclear if her husband or any of their four children have the virus.
The news came as GPs warned the number of people fearing they had swine flu had jumped 50% to 40,000 last week.
Mrs Blair, who has a high flying legal career, was brought up not far from the university. In her memoirs published in May 2008 she described herself as just "a girl from Liverpool who found herself at No 10 Downing Street".