In the UK, fears of a swine flu pandemic caused the setting up of call centres, which people would phone if they had flu symptoms. But the recent death of 16 year old Charlotte Hartey, misdiagnosed with swine flu when she actually had tonsillitis, calls the whole system into question.

How Does Telephone Diagnosis Work?

In mid-2009, with the threat of a swine flu epidemic, the UK government set up swine flu call centres. The idea was that anyone with suspected flu symptoms would call the centre and be given a diagnosis over the phone. If they had swine flu, the person would be sent a prescription for Tamiflu, which could be taken by relatives or friends to the nearest pharmacy.