GPs concerned 'diseases are being missed'
6th August 2009
Nine in ten GPs are concerned that illness may be missed in the midst of the swine flu scare sweeping across the UK, new research revealed.
The survey of 251 doctors confirmed that 87 per cent of respondents believed that phone diagnosis of swine flu could miss other conditions, according to the poll by GP Magazine.
Responding to the poll, one doctor said: 'The symptoms are so vague and wide ranging, swine flu can masquerade as a vast array of other diseases.'
Updates from the Department of Health indicate that the number of swine flu cases is no longer rising as rapidly, suggesting that it may have plateaued.
The Health Protection Agency estimated that there were around 110,000 new cases in England last week and a decrease in cases among children.
Britain's National Pandemic Flu Service went live on July 27th, providing potential sufferers with a phone line on which they can check for symptoms and authorisation for anti-virals where necessary.