kiwibird
Editor, Senior Moderator
From The Times
July 18, 2009
Patients concerned but calm in lull before the swine flu storm
Mark Porter: Commentary
Although GP surgeries in many parts of the country have experienced a sharp rise in calls about swine flu, our practice has been an exception. We have had fewer calls than we did last week.
The practice looks after 6,000 patients in and around a market town 20 miles north of Bristol. It is not one of the worst-hit parts of the country, despite having some of the first reported cases in Britain.
We took 17 flu-related calls on Monday and 19 on Tuesday, but have had only 11 over the past three days. Inquiries have been about all age groups ? everything from parents concerned about their children to adults concerned about elderly parents.
I took one call from a woman who was four days into what sounded like classic swine flu. She was not worried, had quarantined herself, gone to bed and taken paracetamol. She was feeling better and rang only to find out when she could safely return to work.
Another call was from a parent whose daughter had a sore throat. She did not think it was swine flu but she wanted to check as the family were going on holiday abroad over the weekend.
Callers who we think have flu are asked to stay at home and send a ?flu friend? to pick up their Tamiflu from the pharmacy.
Those who have no one to get their drugs can call on Red Cross volunteers.
Next week will almost certainly be much busier. I suspect we are experiencing the lull before the storm ? and long may it continue.
Mark Porter is a GP in Gloucestershire
July 18, 2009
Patients concerned but calm in lull before the swine flu storm
Mark Porter: Commentary
Although GP surgeries in many parts of the country have experienced a sharp rise in calls about swine flu, our practice has been an exception. We have had fewer calls than we did last week.
The practice looks after 6,000 patients in and around a market town 20 miles north of Bristol. It is not one of the worst-hit parts of the country, despite having some of the first reported cases in Britain.
We took 17 flu-related calls on Monday and 19 on Tuesday, but have had only 11 over the past three days. Inquiries have been about all age groups ? everything from parents concerned about their children to adults concerned about elderly parents.
I took one call from a woman who was four days into what sounded like classic swine flu. She was not worried, had quarantined herself, gone to bed and taken paracetamol. She was feeling better and rang only to find out when she could safely return to work.
Another call was from a parent whose daughter had a sore throat. She did not think it was swine flu but she wanted to check as the family were going on holiday abroad over the weekend.
Callers who we think have flu are asked to stay at home and send a ?flu friend? to pick up their Tamiflu from the pharmacy.
Those who have no one to get their drugs can call on Red Cross volunteers.
Next week will almost certainly be much busier. I suspect we are experiencing the lull before the storm ? and long may it continue.
Mark Porter is a GP in Gloucestershire