Uttoxeter residents who develop swine flu will not be able to collect vital anti-viral drugs in the town Conservatives have discovered. The revelation came in a letter dated 24th July, Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham, listed the confidential locations for anti-viral collection points for treatment of swine flu. While there were Anti Viral Collection Points (ACPs) in Burton, Lichfield, Stafford and Rugely, there is no collection point in Uttoxeter.

Conservative Parliamentary candidate Andrew Griffiths said,

“It is very concerning that if you fall ill with swine flu in Uttoxeter, you will have to go many miles in order to get hold of the vital drugs. I am particularly worried about the effect on elderly swine flu victims and those without private transport who will find it difficult to travel any distance. The NHS swine flu website makes it clear that Tamiflu needs to be administered within 2 days of symptoms showing, so getting hold of the quickly and easily is essential.”

Andrew added,
“In places like Tamworth, Stafford, Rugeley, or Burton, the anti virals can be obtained from locations such as supermarkets, chemists, and other major stores, so there really is no excuse for not having a collection point in a major population centre such as Uttoxeter. Given the potential scale of the outbreak this is a major omission and speaks volumes about the government’s handling of the pandemic”