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The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a warning against what it calls widespread "alarmist rhetoric" about the current influenza outbreak, while its members vote on the possibility of scheduled industrial action in England the coming week.

Union Reaction to Government Worries

This statement arrives after the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, expressed "extremely worried" about the potential "double whammy" of increasing figures of flu patients in hospitals and the approaching junior doctor strikes.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, said that while the union was not "minimizing" the impact of flu, Mr. Streeting "ought not to 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 noted.

Strike Vote and Potential Schedule

The decision of a members' referendum is scheduled for Monday. If the offer is turned down, a week-long walkout will begin on Wednesday.

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

But, the deal omits a pay rise. Sir Keir Starmer has stated that pay for resident doctors has risen by 28.9% over the past three years.

Appeals for Focus on a Deal

In a statement, the BMA urged 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 union has also written to chief executives of NHS Trusts in England, recognizing that, should there be a strike, resident doctors may be asked to come back to work to "maintain safe patient care."

Political Reaction and Flu Data

In an interview with media, Mr. Streeting said the present circumstances was "probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid." He asked why the BMA hadn't accepted 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 challenging moment since the pandemic."

Concerning the flu outbreak, health officials 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.

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

In spite of the rising numbers, 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 indicated it will ask its members whether the government's latest offer will be enough to avert Wednesday's strikes. If members vote in favor, a formal follow-up referendum would be held on resolving the dispute entirely.