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The leading doctors' union has sounded a caution against what it calls widespread "fearmongering" regarding the present influenza outbreak, while its members decide on whether to carry out planned strikes in England the coming week.

BMA Response to Government Worries

This follows after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the potential "double whammy" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the upcoming junior doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, remarked that while the union was not "downplaying" the severity of flu, Mr. Streeting "should not be 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.

Strike Vote and Potential Timeline

The result of a union vote is scheduled for Monday. If it is rejected, a week-long walkout will start on Wednesday.

Ministers says its deal includes laws that prioritises British medical graduates for specialty training jobs starting next year and offers to subsidize training expenses.

But, the deal excludes a salary increase. Sir Keir Starmer has stated that pay for resident doctors has increased by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Attention on a Deal

In a announcement, the BMA called on the health secretary to "concentrate 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 union has also notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "uphold safe patient care."

Political Reaction and Flu Data

In an interview with 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 reschedule the industrial action to January.

Mirroring the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "should not happen" 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 highest for this time of year since records began in 2021.

It is important to note, these records only date back to 2021 and so do not include the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

In spite of the increasing figures, the senior doctor for the NHS in London said the flu situation was "within manageable limits" of what the NHS could cope with and that hospitals were more ready for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The union stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to cancel Wednesday's strikes. If members indicate yes, a second ballot would be held on resolving the dispute completely.