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The leading doctors' union has issued a warning against what it calls widespread "scaremongering" concerning the present influenza outbreak, while its members consider the possibility of impending walkouts in England the coming week.

BMA Reaction to Ministerial Concerns

This comes after the Health Minister, Wes Streeting, expressed "deeply concerned" about the looming "double whammy" of rising numbers of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming junior doctor strikes.

The head of the BMA's resident doctors' group, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "minimizing" the effect 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," a letter from the union declared.

Industrial Action Ballot and Possible Timeline

The decision of a union vote is due on Monday. If it is rejected, a five-day strike will begin on Wednesday.

The government states its deal includes legislation that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize training expenses.

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

Calls for Attention on a Deal

In a announcement, the BMA urged the health secretary to "devote his efforts 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, recognizing that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Political Reaction and Influenza Data

Speaking to media, Mr. Streeting said the current situation was "perhaps 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. 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 start from 2021 and so do not capture the two worst flu seasons of the past 15 years.

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

The union indicated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to avert Wednesday's strikes. Should members vote in favor, a second ballot would be held on ending the dispute for good.