Adverts promote swine flu service

The advertisements explain what anti-viral drugs are and how they can help

A £2.4m newspaper and radio advertising campaign for the National Pandemic Flu Service is getting under way.

Patients in England can access the website or telephone helpline, enabling them to obtain drugs without first getting a prescription from a GP.

The website recorded 2,600 hits per second after going live on Thursday.

The print advertisements advise people to select a "flu friend" to collect anti-viral drugs for them, using both their own and the patient's ID.

They describe symptoms of swine flu as a fever or temperature over 38C or 100.4F, coupled with two of the following: unusual tiredness, headache, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath or cough, loss of appetite, aching muscles, diarrhoea or vomiting.

The advertisement reads: "To use the National Pandemic Flu Service and to collect anti-virals, your flu friend will need their own and the patient's ID.

Underlying illness

"If you have any underlying health conditions, it's important your flu friend knows about them when using the service on your behalf."

Patients are still being advised to contact GPs if they have serious underlying illnesses, are pregnant, have sick children aged under one, their condition suddenly worsens or continues to worsen after seven days - five for a child.

More than 100,000 people in the UK are estimated to have contracted swine flu in the past week, while 30 people have died after contracting the illness.

The new service is only available in England because the rest of the UK has experienced much lower demand. Its website has been inundated with visitors, forcing host BT to quadruple its capacity.

The number for the National Pandemic Flu Service for England is 0800 1513 100 and the website address www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu