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The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" regarding the current flu outbreak, while its members decide on the possibility of scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Government Concerns

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "very anxious" about the potential "combined impact" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, stated that while the union was not "minimizing" the severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "must avoid scaremongering the public into thinking that the NHS will not be able to look after them."

"As doctors, we at the BMA wish to ensure that patients remain safe," correspondence from the union noted.

Industrial Action Vote and Possible Schedule

The outcome of a BMA ballot is expected on Monday. If it is rejected, a five-day strike will commence on Wednesday.

The government argues its proposal includes legislation that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to cover the costs professional development costs.

However, the deal excludes a pay rise. The Prime Minister has stated that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Attention on a Deal

In a announcement, the BMA called on the health secretary to "focus his time and attention on offering a deal that will stop next week's strikes going ahead, rather than making claims that strike action could cause the NHS to collapse."

The BMA has also notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "uphold safe patient care."

Political Response and Influenza Statistics

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "perhaps the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He questioned why the BMA hadn't accepted an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.

Repeating the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most vulnerable moment since the pandemic."

Concerning the flu outbreak, experts note it has come early this winter. An average of 2,660 patients per day were in hospital with flu in England last week – the greatest for this time of year on record in 2021.

However, these records start from 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

Despite the rising numbers, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "within manageable limits" of what the NHS could handle and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union indicated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to call off Wednesday's strikes. Should members vote in favor, a detailed vote would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.