Swine flu treatment policy changing

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London and the West Midlands are adopting a policy of outbreak management, which will see people with swine flu clinically diagnosed rather than being confirmed by laboratory results.

It comes as NHS Direct is being overwhelmed with calls from members of the public worried about swine flu.

Callers are currently hearing a recorded message saying the service is only dealing with emergency cases. A spokeswoman for the service said NHS Direct was experiencing a large volume of calls about the virus.

In London and the West Midlands, the new policy means swabbing will take place only for a small number of cases to keep track of the strength of the virus.

Doctors will also use the drug Tamiflu more selectively, targeting only people with symptoms.

This means anyone who has come into contact with somebody with swine flu will probably not receive the drug as a precaution.

Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson stressed that many parts of the country were still in the containment phase. But he warned there could be "tens of thousands of cases" of swine flu each week by the autumn because the virus is more likely to thrive in the colder months.

So far, 3,597 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the UK but the true figure is thought to be higher. In Scotland, all cases are still being confirmed by laboratory tests and the Government has not moved to outbreak management.

However, a spokeswoman said it is trying to build more flexibility into the system so staff can better deal with the number of cases.