DoH denies swine flu advice is conflicting
20 July 2009
The DoH has denied that couples should put off trying to conceive until the swine flu pandemic has passed.
Pregnant woman (Photograph: J H Lancy/HML)
This comes after the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) advised women to consider delaying pregnancy.
The NCT said that the guidance was taken from the DoH website, but the DoH has claimed that the guidance was based on predictions for an avian flu pandemic, a much more severe strain of flu.
The DoH has also said that pregnant women should not alter their behaviour but should avoid crowds and unnecessary travel, insisting that the guidance is not conflicting.
Health minister Andy Burnham is expected to say today that people should make only common sense adjustments and continue with their daily routines.
Professor Steve Field, chairman of the RCGP, has advised pregnant GPs who are encountering lots of patients with influenza to deal with chronic management work rather than patients with flu.
Elsewhere, holidaymakers suspected of having swine flu will be prevented from checking in and will be required to provide doctors' notes saying that they are fit to fly, according to The Times.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have provided check-in staff and cabin crew with guidance on the virus as it continues to spread.
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