Huge rise in calls reporting cold and flu to GP helpline

HEALTH experts are warning of a cold and flu epidemic as calls to GP helplines soar.

The number of people contacting NHS Direct has more than trebled from 3,400 to 10,500 over the last quarter - a rise of 206 per cent in callers ringing with cold, flu and fever symptoms. NHS Direct said it was also a rise compared with the same period last year.

Professor Steve Field of the Royal College of General Practitioners said the figures were a "dramatic" increase on what would be expected for this time of year. The advice service has provided an online cold and flu checker to help people assess the severity of their symptoms.

There is no cure for the common cold, which is caused by one of more than 200 types of virus.

Anne Joshua, associate director of pharmacy at NHS Direct, said: "The tool helps with self-care and to decide when professional advice is needed."

At-risk groups such as the elderly and those with asthma should get the flu jab, Professor Field said.

He added: "There is complacency because people forget how bad flu is. The fact is it can kill."