DESPITE the media hype, Britain was not hit by a flu epidemic this month. In
England and Wales, just 203 people out of every 100 000 turned up at their
doctor’s surgery with flu in the first full week in January, when the outbreak
peaked. This is far short of the 400 per 100 000 that marks an epidemic. This
nasty, nationwide bout of flu simply showed how stretched and inflexible
Britain’s National Health Service is when faced with a sudden drain on its
emergency beds.
When a really serious flu pandemic strikes, January 2000 will look like a
picnic…
