TY - JOUR T1 - Astrologers, soothsayers, scaremongers JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 625 LP - 625 DO - 10.3399/bjgp10X515232 VL - 60 IS - 577 AU - Mike Fitzpatrick Y1 - 2010/08/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/60/577/625.abstract N2 - An Englishman notices a mullah standing outside his house in London scattering grains of maize. He walks over and asks him why he is doing this. ‘To keep the tigers away’, the mullah replies. The Englishman objects that there aren't any tigers. ‘That means it works’, says the mullah.1‘Overall, the UK response was highly satisfactory. The planning for the pandemic was well developed, the personnel involved were fully prepared, the scientific advice provided was expert, communication was excellent, the NHS and public health services right across the UK and their suppliers responded splendidly and the public response was calm and collaborative.’2The statistics of the triumph of public health over … ER -