Well, 4 days into my return to work after a week off.
I returned to find the UK in the grip of what appears to be the new Black Death.
Let's ignore the fact tht there are not sufficient cases to trigger use of anti-virals during seasonal flu. Let's forget that thus far the virus seems no more virulant than seasonal flu. Let's forget the fact that we normally only treat the prostrate and the at risk population.
Instead let's suggest that GPs triage all cases only by phone. Let's define swine flu as a set of symptoms that you could also get with pneumonia, tonsillitis, Pyelonephritis or any common all garden para-influenza, and suggest that such patients should be sent via a buddy, a course of tamiflu costing nearly £17 a go.
Let's all ensure a level of hysteria that massively increases the demand on urgent services, ensuring delays for patients who may actually be ill.
Sooner than later, some poor GP is going to treat a patient needing antibiotics and clinical review with a 5 day course of Tamiflu, and then stand back and watch him/her get pilloried in the national press.
If we restricted our management to those who were really ill, or at risk, the work oad would be manageable and we could actually physically review the patients and assess them properly. Has someone forgotten that we do this every flu season anyway !!
Could it be that the Government is driving up levels of hysteria, to keep themselves and their own difficulties off the front of the papers until the summer recess......