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The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls public "alarmist rhetoric" concerning the ongoing influenza outbreak, as its members consider the possibility of impending walkouts in England the coming week.

Union Reaction to Government Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the looming "one-two punch" of soaring counts of flu patients in hospitals and the forthcoming 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 "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.

Strike Ballot and Potential Timeline

The outcome of a BMA ballot is scheduled for Monday. If it is rejected, a industrial action lasting five days will begin on Wednesday.

The government states its offer includes measures that gives preference to British medical graduates for training posts starting next year and offers to subsidize professional development costs.

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

Calls for Attention on a Solution

In a announcement, the BMA urged 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 BMA has also notified chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, indicating that, in the event of a strike, resident doctors may be called in to work to "ensure safe patient care."

Government Reaction 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 accepted an offer to reschedule the industrial action to January.

Repeating the health secretary, the prime minister said the "reckless" strikes "ought not to go ahead" while the NHS is facing its "most precarious moment since the pandemic."

Regarding the flu outbreak, experts note it has arrived sooner than usual 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.

However, these records start from 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 "well within the boundaries" of what the NHS could cope with and that hospitals were better prepared for large disease outbreaks since the Covid pandemic.

The BMA stated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be sufficient to avert Wednesday's strikes. If members agree, a detailed vote would be held on ending the dispute entirely.