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The British Medical Association (BMA) has raised an alarm against what it calls widespread "fearmongering" concerning the present flu outbreak, while its members decide on whether to carry out impending walkouts in England next week.

Union Reaction to Ministerial Worries

This comes after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, stated he was "deeply concerned" about the potential "double whammy" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming resident doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "minimizing" the effect 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 Timeline

The decision of a members' referendum is scheduled for Monday. Should members vote no, a five-day strike will start on Wednesday.

Ministers says its deal includes legislation that gives preference to British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to subsidize professional development costs.

But, the deal does not include a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has commented that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Calls for Focus on a Solution

In a statement, the BMA appealed to 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 contacted chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be required to return to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Political Response and Influenza Statistics

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He questioned why the BMA hadn't taken up an offer to push the strike back to January.

Echoing the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "should not happen" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

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

However, these records only date back to 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

Despite the increasing figures, 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 said it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to cancel Wednesday's strikes. If members agree, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute completely.