UK opens hotline for A/H1N1 flu

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The UK Department of Health has launched a call center to deal with the surging number of domestic A/H1N1 flu cases.

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown listens during a visit to a  National Health Service (NHS) centre in central London, July 24,  2009. Europe's drug watchdog has begun reviewing data on pandemic  flu vaccines with the goal of getting medicines to protect against  the H1N1 virus approved before flu season starts in the Northern  Hemisphere, likely in September.

Britain is the worst-hit country in Europe. Authorities estimate the number of cases has doubled to 100-thousand. Medical officials are recommending people with flu symptoms to use the hotline instead of visiting a doctor. The Prime Minister has described the call center as "breaking new ground".

Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister, said, "The national flu line service is the first in the world. We're breaking new ground here, but we've been preparing for this for more than two years and I think the evidence is that people are responding to the scheme, although there have been some teething troubles, people are getting through. I think the collection points are working well and what we want to do is to ensure that people get the best advice, get it as quickly as possible, are able to get the anti-virus when they need them and are reassured that everything possible is being done."