DORSET Primary Care Trust is preparing to launch antiviral collecting points in the county if the demand for swine flu medication grows.

Dr Sue Bennett, director of the Dorset and Somerset health protection unit, said the number of cases is expected to increase throughout August.

She said: “Because pressure on GPs will grow, antiviral collection points will be introduced.

“At the moment a number of pharmacies are supplying the antiviral drug Tamiflu but as the demand grows we will need the collection points to be opened.”

Claire Warner, swine flu spokeswoman for the Dorset PCT, said a network of 14 community pharmacies were currently working well across the county – with extended opening hours – to supply the demand.

She said: “At the moment the demand isn’t there to justify staffing a different system.

“And for most people the symptoms are relatively mild.”

She added that, if necessary, 24-hour designated collection points would be introduced to community hospitals across the county.

If follows the launch of the Government’s new online service yesterday that will assess patients for swine flu and if required, provide an authorisation number that can be used to collect antiviral medication.

The National Pandemic Flu Service, which can also be accessed by telephone, is designed to take the strain off GPs as swine flu spreads.

For the moment, it is only being used in England.

The new system, which is supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners, means important changes to the official advice given to those who think they may have swine flu.

The self-care service aims to give people with pandemic swine flu symptoms fast access to information and antivirals.

There were an estimated 100,000 new cases of swine flu in the United Kingdom in the last week.

Total deaths stand at 31.

The World Health Organ- isation has said that more than 700 people with swine flu have died world-wide since the beginning of the pandemic.

Sir Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer, said there are 840 seriously ill people in hospital with swine flu. Of these, 63 are in intensive care.

He added: “Of the 26 people who have died in England, around 16 per cent did not have any underlying conditions.

“Under 14-year-olds continue to be the age group predominantly affected. The majority of cases continue to be mild.”

Visit www.pandemicflu.direct.gov.uk or call 0800 1 513 100