Flu infects 100,000 in past week
The number of new cases of swine flu in the past week has reached an estimated 100,000 and is mainly affecting the under 14s, the government says.
The figure for England is double the total of the previous week and comes as the Department of Health prepares to launch the National Flu Service.
The hotline and website service will give flu sufferers access to drugs without needing to consult a GP.
It has been designed to relieve the pressure on the health service.
Pregnant women, people with health conditions and the under-ones will still all be referred to GPs.
The Department of Health has accepted that the service could be abused by people giving the answers they believe will give them access to anti-flu drugs.
But Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson has said it is a price worth paying to help the NHS cope with its “biggest challenge in a generation”.
He told the BBC this week that the flu service might just be the first step in how the health service responds to a pandemic which has already claimed more than 700 lives across the world.
The death toll in the UK stands at 31, but that is likely to climb when the Department of Health in England releases its weekly update on Thursday.
The 100,000 figure for new cases is in line with what experts expected. Last week there were an estimated 55,000 new cases.
There are 840 patients currently in hospital, 63 of whom are in intensive care.
Under contingency plans, non-emergency operations can be cancelled, while doctors can be moved around the health service to help flu hotspots cope.
The flu service does have some security checks in place. Those who are diagnosed with swine flu are given a voucher number for a flu friend to collect their drugs from a collection point.
Each person has their own unique number so the service will know if an individual is trying to get more than one dose of an anti-viral drug.
The flu friend will also have to present ID for the patient when they collect the drug.
It will be staffed by 1,500 call handlers to start with, although there is already capacity for 2,000 people in the network of call centres.
Demand
The free-phone number will only be operational from 8am until midnight, but officials stressed that it will expand to meet the requirements of the pandemic.
Details of the website address and helpline number have yet to be released.
The launch of the service was announced last week after GPs and NHS Direct reported a dramatic rise in calls and consultations.
Every region of England is now seeing “exceptional” levels of activity with the exception of Yorkshire and the Humber.
And a poll of 1,500 NHS staff by the Health Service Journal and Nursing Times showed 14% did not think their organisation was coping successfully with the pressure.
The flu service is not covering the rest of the UK as Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have all experienced much less demand.
They will be able to plug into it if and when they need to, although experts have said Scotland appears to be over the worst of this phase.
Dr Richard Vautrey, of the British Medical Association, which has helped to design the checklist being used by the flu service, said: “What we have to remember is that this is a unique situation.
“Some GP practices are receiving hundreds of calls a day and we have to prioritise so we can see the most seriously ill.
“It has been designed by doctors to pick up problems that need to be seen by someone with a medical background.
“So as long as the call handlers get the correct training we can be confident in this service.”
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