Live webchat with Health Secretary Andy Burnham today (Weds 22 July) 2.30-3.30pm

[HelenMumsnet]

We're delighted to announce that Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Health, will be joining us on Mumsnet tomorrow (Wednesday 22 July) between 2.30pm and 3.30pm for a live webchat, during which he's promised to answer your questions about swine flu (and anything else you'd like to know).

Andy has been Health Secretary since June this year. He is also MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, was born in Liverpool, has three children, supports Everton and, apparently, plays a mean riff on the guitar.

Because of the last-minute scheduling of this webchat, we're NOT taking advance questions, so stand by your keyboards at 2.30pm tomorrow (or get someone else to ask your question if you can't be there)!

[FiveGoMadInDorset]

But in one case tonsilitis was quoted as the underlying health issue which is very treatable.

[Shellseeker]

I wonder if Mrs Burnham is on MN? Maybe she should update him on how MN works as he clearly hasn't got the hang of posting messages!

[Frasersmum123]

How will you insure that those who are at most risk will get the Vaccine? Will it be the case that you will have to prove hom asthmatic you are for example, or will it be a blanket vaccination for everyone that has a condition that puts them in the 'at risk' category?

[yappybluedog]

perhaps he's not feeling well

[thegrammerpolice]

"It has been used because we don't want to give intrusive personal information on every person."

[kathyis6incheshigh]

Thank you Andy.
Look forward to the more detailed information when it is made public.

[Heidi28]

The current NHS recommendation for women suffering with swine flu is to be prescribed Relenza rather than Tamiflu to ease symptoms - but the drug has not been studied in pregnant humans (only animals where it caused skeletal defects when given in large doses), so it is not known if it is safe for use during pregnancy.

The guidance and advice given to pregnant women (I'm at 34 weeks) has been so conflicting and confusing. Where can we get access to some reliable, up-to-date information and have our individual questions answered?

I'd like an answer to blondiemix's question: "Can you confirm that your staff will provide FULL answers to all the questions being asked on this forum, to be published on Mumsnet by next Wednesday?"

[Dumbledoresgirl]

he has a typist? sack her (or him) I can type faster than this!

[kellyss]

thank you kathy it seems the news say that ppl with underlying health conditions are the 1s that are dying so don't panic well sorry but it makes u panic more when 1 of your kids already suffer with health and to have this hanging over the country maybe what is being wrote needs to changed its like thoses with health probs dont matter sori to waffle

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

The US cdc have quite a good breakdown of which underlying health conditions are contributing to pan flu deaths (and break it down by percentage). It is pretty interesting reading.

[VulpusinaWilfsuit]

I do hope MNHQ will fill us all in on how many people are in the room debating what Andy is allowed to say?

It must be tough being a politician. Your every word being dissected by know-it-all Internet Sprites. And the Daily Mail.

But do keep up, a bit...

[JustineMumsnet]

And re advance questions, as you can imagine the Minister is quite busy right now so he kindly agreed to squeeze us into a tight schedule at the last minute. Better we have him now and without advance questions than not at all, no? We may not cover all the ground but we'll cover some.

[AndyBurnham]

There are no plans for widespread school closures. There were closures in the early phase but that was when all our efforts were focused on containing spread so that we could buy time to learn more about the virus. Again, it is important to keep it in perspective and adopt a business as usual approach. School closures may be considered on a local basis but that would be a matter for the head teacher and the chair of governors. Obviously, we will keep things under review and have to see how the virus develops in the Autumn but there are no widespread closure plans under discussion at the moment.

[GIvePeasAChance]

PR disaster

I'm off

[FiveGoMadInDorset]

Sorry Justine it is not complicated to state how many of the 30 people who have died have had underlying health issues as he was asked on Monday morning and said that he would be answering in his statement in the afternoon.

Agree should have been pre set questions or had a few people to do this.

[Dumbledoresgirl]

Only if some ground is actually covered Justine....

OK got to go. Some of us still have children at school....

[PM73]

Are there plans to immunise all 0-5 yr olds against SF?

[furrycat]

Shame the health secretary can't spell leukaemia

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I'm afraid I have to go and do the school run (pity this is over school run time as there are so many interesting areas around this topic to discuss)
I look forward to reading your answers. Thank you for coming on to MN today.

[blondieminx]

Mr Burnham, you have posted 3 times in the last half hour. There is no way you are going to be able to answer all our questions in the remaining time. Therefore please can you confirm that your office will be providing FULL answers to all questions raised here, to be published on Mumsnet, by next Wednesday?

It's a simple request - which I have now made three times.

[ellielou02]

Hi Andy will you providing answers to the issues raised here at a later date as some other people have asked, and I am quite keen to know the answers to alot of the questions. There are understandably alot of questions from worried people!

[thegrammerpolice]

[studentmummy]

Hello again Mr Burnham - To repeat hospital beds question with a twist - will we have enough for all the anticipated child swine flu sufferers who need hospitalisation over the course of this pandemic (estimated up to 20,000 worst case scenario) when number of paediatric beds available is somewhere between three and four hundred?

[VulpusinaWilfsuit]

OK, thanks. So the notion is rumour and conjecture at the moment...

I do very much appreciate your being here to answer some of these questions BTW. It must be a very busy time.

We would give anyone a ribbing, but the fast typers have a slight advantage.

And IMHO, Alan Johnson had the slight edge as fit Health Secretaries go . And dictating/typing speed.

[AndyBurnham]

Newspapers reports on the weekend about delaying a family were very unhelpful and I think brought a lot of unnecessary confusion. This has not been part of our advice. There was earlier advice relating to H5N1 (Bird Flu) but that would have been most likely a more serious virus. As we keep saying this virus is mild in the vast majority of cases but undoubtly very unpleasant for some.