Published at 11:27, Thursday, 06 August 2009

Pssssssst! Anyone wanna supply of anti-virals? Going cheap, special offer, get ‘em now, while you can, special price to you...

Virus: A nurse holds a box of antiviral drug Tamiflu

It won’t be long before we’re collecting medicines in darkened, empty car parks from anonymous blokes in big overcoats, rather than from chemists or medical centres.

Thanks to the mounting hysteria over swine flu, you can already order your drugs over the phone or the internet, like a takeaway pizza: “Hello, hello NHS direct, I’d like a double order of Tamiflu please and a side order of Relenza please.

“A special offer on temazepam? No thanks. When can you deliver my order by? Can you make it for eight?”

This phone order business is also putting the health and welfare of the nation at the risk of spivs and con-men.

As with sought-after concert tickets, there will be small armies of criminals phoning up with phoney flu-like symptoms, getting armfuls of prescriptions (or deliveries) and then stock-piling the drugs to sell on at a later date in the year when more of us will really be needing them.

The cost, as ever, will be borne by the increasingly expensive NHS.

We were a nation of coughers and complainers long before the outbreak of swine flu.

At the slightest sign of a sniff, we’re off down to the chemist or the GP’s surgery.

But in recent weeks our symptoms have got much, much worse.

It’s “the worried well” (a phrase used by medics to describe hypochondriacs) who are causing most of the problems, making helplines go into meltdown and websites to crash.

The virus is a worry, especially for parents – some people have died after contracting this illness.

There have not been as many deaths as during the annual bout of flu virus, yet we’re in danger of turning the thing into the Black Death.

It won’t be long before we see whole communities barricading their streets and fighting any visitors away, sealing themselves off from the rest of the ‘infected’ society.

NHS Cumbria is asking people who think they may have swine flu to help stop the spread of infection by contacting health services from home.

When a patient is diagnosed with swine flu by phone they are issued with a voucher for antiviral medication, but even then it is important they do not collect the tablets in person.

Instead, patients should nominate a ‘flu friend’ – a friend, neighbour or family member who will collect the medication on their behalf.

I know the NHS wants to avoid the further spread of the illness and prevent those infected from entering waiting rooms and other public places at the risk of spreading the infection.

But you should be visited and checked by a health worker if you’re ill.

The NHS needs to row back from a position of handing the drugs out like free bin bags.

The current situation leaves itself wide open for misdiagnosis and serious abuse.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk