Andy Burnham today sought to reassure pregnant women about the risks of contracting swine flu as he promised further help was on its way to frontline NHS staff dealing with the outbreak.
While the virus has spread quickly, it has not become more dangerous, the health secretary told MPs.
Addressing the issue of conflicting advice being issued to mothers-to-be, Burnham said the government's recommendations had not changed.
Most pregnant women who contracted the H1N1 virus only suffered "mild symptoms" but were more at risk of contracting swine flu because their immune systems are suppressed, he told the Commons.
He urged pregnant women to:
• Observe good hand hygiene.
• Where possible avoid contact with those suspected of the having the virus.
• Contact a medical practitioner if they suspect they have the virus.
Burnham said 55,000 new cases of swine flu were reported last week and so far there had been 26 deaths from the virus in England.
"The virus has taken hold around the country," he said. "The government must be as open as possible about the potential threat so organisations can establish plans to deal with it."
Burnham said the Department of Health had now signed contracts for enough vaccinations to inoculate 30m people and that supply should start to come through from August. Priority groups, such as NHS staff, would be vaccinated first, as soon as officials "got the green light".
MPs will also be given weekly updates on the situation during the long parliamentary summer recess.
Earlier today, Burnham promised that further help was on its way to frontline NHS staff dealing with swine flu.
A new national service for England that includes websites and dedicated call centres to be launched on Thursday would help people assess their own health, the health secretary said.
"This service is the first of its kind in the world, it is a new service and it is giving people a way of getting medication without going through the normal channels; hopefully they will get it more quickly," Burnham told GMTV this morning.
But the Conservatives accused the government of "dithering", saying delays had damaged the ability of the NHS to respond coherently to the outbreak.
In the Commons, Andrew Lansley, Burnham's Tory shadow, suggested some of the "confusion" seen since the pandemic alert was declared in June could have been avoided and said it was vital the government set out clearly the process for the licensing and implementation of vaccines.
Amid increasing concern over the impact of swine flu on expectant women, the DoH has posted a new document on its website reiterating previously issued advice. It has also stressed that it is no longer telling women to delay conception.
A DoH spokeswoman admitted that its previous guidance to those trying to conceive had been based on predictions for a pandemic involving bird flu, a more serious infection. She said the advice had now been "refined to reflect current circumstances". The DoH was forced into a clarification after women appeared to be given conflicting advice.
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) advised women to consider delaying pregnancy until the pandemic had passed. It was accused of scaremongering but said it had only taken advice from the DoH website.
It was also reported that the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists were advising pregnant women to avoid rush hour, stay indoors and restrict the movement of other children so as to avoid bringing the virus home.
The RCM/RCOG sought to distance themselves from advice about expectant mothers avoiding the rush hour or staying indoors. But, in comments that deepened the sense of confusion, they said pregnant women should avoid crowded places "wherever possible".
Concerns over expectant women were heightened after a woman with swine flu died last week shortly after giving birth prematurely. Named by her brother as Ruptara Miah, 39, she died in London's Whipps Cross hospital. Her newborn baby is reported to be very ill. A total of 29 people have so far died from swine flu.
Dr Boon Lim, of the RCOG, said he disagreed with previous comments from the RCM for pregnant women to avoid the rush hour. Lim said: "If people go to work on the tube, they can't not go to work on the tube. They can take precautions to limit the spread but if they do not have the infection they should not stay at home." He said there was no need for parents to avoid taking children to play groups. "By all means follow sensible hygiene measures but do not change your lifestyle."
Belinda Phipps, the director of the NCT, said: "Following the death of a pregnant woman on Friday we brought together in a Q&A all the disparate bits of advice out there. Since then, the DoH has changed their minds and said what they were saying about [delaying] conception wasn't sensible at all ... The furore has been quite a good thing because it has caused them to look again at what they are saying."
