Advice for pregnant women & general advice

Pregnant women are one of the higher risk groups for swine flu, as they are for all influenza viruses. It is therefore important for them to take precautions.

This website provides full and up-to-date advice for pregnant women and parents of young children. The advice has not changed recently and is available at the following links:

Swine flu advice for pregnant women.
Swine flu pregnancy and parenting Q&A.
Swine flu symptoms, including high-risk groups.
Chief medical officer's advice on pregnancy, holidays, and parents.

Reduce the risk of catching or spreading flu

Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. Use a tissue.
Dispose of used tissues carefully.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
Clean hard surfaces (e.g. kitchen worktops, door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product.

How dangerous is swine flu?
The vast majority of cases reported so far in this country have been mild. Only a small number have led to serious illness, and these have frequently been where patients have had underlying health problems.

There has been an argument put forward that the government should restrict antivirals to those groups who are most at risk of developing serious complications from swine flu. In other words, if people are otherwise healthy, then the NHS should let the virus run its course, treating it with paracetamol and bed rest, as for normal flu.

However, the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) believes there is still some uncertainty about the risk profile of the virus. For instance, there are reports of some cases in Argentina where young, healthy adults have apparently become extremely ill from swine flu.

While there is still this doubt, the government has decided to continue offering Tamiflu to everyone with swine flu at their doctor's discretion.

"We will keep this matter under review, with advice from SAGE," said health minister Andy Burnham.

You can read the Department of Health's guide for further information on the science of swine flu treatment.

Which groups are at greatest risk?
Some people are more at risk than others of serious illness if they catch swine flu. They will need to start taking antivirals as soon as they are confirmed with the illness. On occasion, doctors may advise some high risk patients to take antivirals before they have symptoms if someone close to them has swine flu.

The risk profile of the virus is still being studied but it is already known that certain groups of people are particularly vulnerable. These include:

•Patients who have had drug treatment for asthma in the past three years
•Pregnant women
•People aged 65 years and older
•Children under five years old
•People with chronic lung disease
•People with chronic heart disease
•People with chronic kidney disease
•People with chronic liver disease
•People with chronic neurological disease
•People with immunosuppression (whether caused by disease or treatment)
•People with diabetes mellitus