HC Deb 15 May 1957 vol 570 cc408-10
The Minister of Health (Mr. Dennis Vosper)

With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I will make a short statement on the progress of vaccination against poliomyelitis. With the agreement of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, my statement will cover Scotland as well as England and Wales.

The production of this vaccine, which, with the stringent safety measures, involves some of the most complicated processes ever undertaken in this field, has had its difficulties. Nevertheless, 213,000 children had been vaccinated by the end of 1956, and vaccine for well over another 500,000 has been issued this year. This covers about 750,000 of the 1,910,000 children registered for vaccination by their parents. The vaccine is now coming forward well and we look forward to completing the vaccination of the children already registered.

At the same time, we have come to the conclusion that registration can be extended. It was orginally limited to children born in the years 1947 to 1954. We are now proposing that parents of children born in 1955 and 1956 should be given an opportunity to register them, and that a second opportunity should then be given to the parents of children born in 1947 to 1954 who decided not to register them last year. The arrangements for registration will be handled by the local health authorities and will be announced locally in due course.

Last year, vaccination was suspended at the end of June. This was done because there was not at that time evidence that the use of the vaccine during the months when the disease might be expected to be most prevalent would be free from risk of provoking paralysis. My right hon. Friend and I have now been advised by the Joint Committee on Poliomyelitis Vaccine, appointed by the Central and Scottish Health Services Councils, that vaccination need not in general be suspended on that ground. Local authorities have been informed of this advice in a circular which they are due to receive today.

Further production difficulties cannot be ruled out, and I do not feel justified in trying to forecast the dates by which it is hoped to make complete further stages in the programme. Nevertheless, we believe that the programme I have outlined is realistic and, barring unforeseen accidents, that it is capable of fulfilment within a reasonable time.

The number of notifications of poliomyelitis so far this year has been relatively high. This must be a cause for concern. I am, however, advised that on the basis of past experience it is not possible at this stage to draw any conclusions as to the probable incidence of the disease later in the year.

I have seen suggestions that arrangements should be made to import vaccine from America. When drawing up our scheme we decided, on expert advice, that the vaccine to be used in this country should have a composition different in certain respects from that of American vaccine which is made from strains of virus including the virulent Mahoney strain. That advice still stands, and, while the situation will continue to be kept under close review in all its aspects, my right hon. Friend and I do not consider that any departure from this policy is warranted in existing circumstances.

Dr. Summerskill

In view of the high number of cases of poliomyelitis already registered in the first four months of the year, that is, before the start of those months which we consider of serious import, could the Minister say approximately when there will be enough vaccine available to vaccinate the 1 million children who were already registered before the extra number now mentioned?

Mr. Vosper

As the right hon. Lady will have noticed, I am most anxious not to make forecasts which might prove inaccurate because of production difficulties, but if all goes well it should be possible to complete vaccination of those already registered by the end of this summer.

Mr. Wade

To clarify a point which has caused some misunderstanding in the public mind, may I ask whether it is correct that the disease which is most common in this country differs somewhat from the disease in America and, therefore, it is desirable to use the vaccine that is most appropriate to this country?

Mr. Vosper

I think that that is correct. The composition of the vaccine in this country is different from that in America, and the opposition to using the American vaccine is not so much that it may be unsuitable but that the vaccine used in this country today is more suitable for the disease in this country.

Mr. Blenkinsop

Is the right hon. Gentleman in touch with developments in the United States in the use of the vaccine there, and will he ensure closer contact with general practitioners in this country in view of his comments?

Mr. Vosper

The present advice will be brought to the notice of all general practitioners this week. There is very close contact with the United States, particularly through the Medical Research Council.