The government yesterday announced details of a swine flu advice line to help frontline NHS staff cope as the number of cases reported rose last week to 55,000, with 652 in hospital and 53 in critical care.
The health secretary, Andy Burnham, made a statement to the House of Commons in which he insisted his department's advice for pregnant women remained unchanged.
The Department of Health has been accused of causing confusion after officials said on Sunday that they were no longer recommending women to delay conception. But yesterday Burnham said advice issued by his department was simply that pregnant women reconsider unnecessary travel and attending crowded places.
Burnham said the virus was found evenly across the UK rather than in "isolated pockets", with 110 primary care trusts reporting "exceptional levels" by 15 July, but added that although it had spread quickly it had not become more dangerous. "The latest figures show nine out of 10 NHS regions are now showing exceptional levels of flu-like illness based on GP consultations," he said. "For the vast majority, swine flu remains a mild and self-limiting illness. Our advice to the public about dealing with it has not changed."
The phone hotline – called the national pandemic flu service – is expected to go live across England on Thursday, with a possible view to it being rolled out across the United Kingdom.
If a caller is confirmed to have swine flu, they would get an authorisation number, which their "flu friend" can use to pick up antiviral drugs from the local collection point, thereby relieving pressure on GPs.
The service would not be in operation this week in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland because those parts of the UK had not seen the same "rate of spread", but they could opt in at a later date.
Burnham was criticised by opposition spokesmen yesterday, with the Liberal Democrats publishing documents which showed the Treasury had been expected to rubber-stamp the project last June, but did not until December. Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb said Whitehall "infighting" between the Department for Health and Treasury delayed the project.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said the helpline should have been up and running a month ago and could have prevented the recent public "confusion".
Scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, working with colleagues at the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the EU's Seventh Framework Programme, set up a new internet-based survey launching today to monitor flu-like illnesses in the UK over the next four years. The voluntary, web-based surveillance system involves people logging on weekly and reporting whether they are ill or not, and is aimed at reassuring the public, allowing for more accurate surveillance of illness and relieving the pressure on health services.
The interactive website, at flusurvey.org.uk, will provide information about symptoms, transmission and treatment of the virus as well as the latest statistics.
Current monitoring systems are based on people contacting their GP, and this information being passed on to the HPA but many treat themselves at home, making it difficult to obtain estimates of the numbers affected by swine flu.
Visitors will be able to immediately see the number of people in their area who are reporting illness, receive an approximate diagnosis and access up-to-date advice about swine flu and how to seek help.
Supporting the government's advice for pregnant women, chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said yesterday most pregnant women with swine flu would only get mild symptoms but pregnancy brought a higher risk of complications.
Mothers-to-be were advised to continue "normal activities" such as going to work and travelling on public transport.
