Health Secretary Andy Burnham denies pregnant women are getting mixed messages on how to protect themselves against swine flu.

Mr Burnham said: "The advice has been clear all along that women who are pregnant should take extra precautions as they would anyway - they should really follow the advice about hand hygiene, they should consider avoiding crowded places."

During a visit to a health centre in south London, he insisted the NHS is dealing "fantastically well" with the virus and preparations here are the best in the world.

His remarks come ahead of an update to MPs on swine flu, including the launch of the national pandemic flu service which aims to ease pressure on frontline NHS staff.

The total number of deaths linked to swine flu now stands at 29 in the UK.

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