Londoners are being warned of a “particularly bad flu season” this year as a more infectious strain of the virus spreads, prompting renewed calls for those eligible to get vaccinated.
Hackney GP Dr Tehseen Khan said this year’s flu strain appears to be more infectious and is leading to more severe illness and hospital admissions than last year. Cases have been rising since mid-September, with all age groups affected, including young children.
Data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on October 30 shows flu cases increasing from 6.1% to 8.2% in just one week, largely driven by a spike among school-aged children. This is a sharp rise compared to 2.9% at the same time last year.
Dr Khan warned that the pressure on NHS services is already being felt.
“It's always a difficult time in winter, a stretched service, A&E being busier as well, so there is real concern about protecting the NHS over the winter months, particularly with the circulating flu virus being a lot more serious this year,” he said.
He added that vaccination remains one of the most important tools to help ease pressure on health services: “It makes it all the more important that people do come forward and do their bit to vaccinate and protect themselves.”
London’s significantly lower vaccination rates compared with the national average are also adding to concern. Dr Khan attributed this to barriers around accessibility and a more transient population, as well as language barriers and widespread misinformation about vaccines.
“We want to dispel some of the myths around it (flu), that it’s just like a cold and you’ll get over it in a couple of days, but actually flu can be really serious and it can lead you to end up in hospital,” he said.
Dr Khan said last year alone 300,000 hospital bed days taken up by patients with flu across the country.
And with the NHS already under strain, increased flu cases risk further pressure on GP services, A&E, and hospital beds.
Vaccination, Dr Khan says, not only protects the individual but also helps protect family and community, especially ahead of the Christmas period.
“This is a huge burden on the NHS and also a risk to our residents and our communities,” he added.
“I had a patient a couple of years ago who was off work for six weeks completely debilitated by flu.
“This is not something to be risked, particularly if you have underlying health conditions.”
It comes as resident doctors in England will go on strike for five consecutive days in the run-up to Christmas, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced.
The walkout will take place from 7am on December 17 until December 22.
Experts expect pressure on services to be "intense" amid surging flu cases and staff sickness, but medics say they have been left with "no choice".
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said: "With the Government failing to put forward a credible plan to fix the jobs crisis for resident doctors at the same time as pushing a real terms pay cut for them, we have no choice but to announce more strike dates.
"However, these do not need to go ahead. Gradually raising pay over a few years and some common-sense fixes to the job security of our doctors are well within the reach of this Government.
"It would ensure both the long-term strength of our healthcare workforce and spare the country the indignity of see unemployed doctors at a time patients are queuing up to even see a GP.
"This month we've seen the full farcical extent of the jobs crisis, with second-year doctors applying for training posts being asked to provide evidence of experience well beyond what would have previously been asked of them.
"It is precisely this sort of situation which is driving doctors away from jobs and to the picket line. But it is not too late for Government to get a grip on the situation."
Previous resident doctor strikes took place from July 25 to 30 and November 14 to 19.
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