Baroness VICKERSMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what action is being taken to bring to the notice of all parents that female children should be vaccinated with rubella vaccine in order to prevent children being born handicapped.
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNEMy Lords, measures are taken by area health authorities to see that vaccination is arranged for schoolgirls between their 11th and 14th birthdays and parents are, of course, contacted to inform them and to obtain their consent. The Department 2 of Health and Social Security launched a campaign to increase the uptake of rubella vaccination in June 1979 and health authorities were encouraged to intensify their rubella vaccination programmes.
Baroness VICKERSMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. May I ask whether doctors are required to put up notices in their surgeries, and whether health visitors take round leaflets when they visit, as it is a very important exercise to have this vaccine to prevent children being born handicapped in the future?
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNEMy Lords, I cannot answer directly whether these notices have to be put up in general practitioners' surgeries. The whole vaccination programme is for the area health authorities to monitor and to guide.
§ Lord ROBERTSON of OAKRIDGEMy Lords, would the Minister agree that an additional way to deal with the rubella problem would be to ensure that all women undergoing fertility treatment are tested for rubella immunity before undergoing such treatment? Can the Minister state whether this is standard practice in National Health Service clinics at least?
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNEMy Lords, in the circular sent by the department to health authorities announcing the publicity campaign for rubella vaccination, it is urged that all women of child-bearing age who have not already received vaccine at school or elsewhere should be tested and vaccinated, where appropriate. Health authorities appreciate the particular importance of ensuring that a non-immune woman attending a fertility clinic is protected, and make arrangements for such patients to be screened and vaccinated before embarking on active treatment for their infertility.
The case that I think the noble Lord has in mind, as he kindly wrote to me about this matter, must be a particularly rare case, and is the more surprising since the woman to whom he referred is a teacher, and the DHSS has made a point of ensuring that the Department of Education and Science include advice on this subject for teachers on recruitment.
§ Baroness FISHER of REDNALMy Lords, can the noble Lord give the House some information regarding the uptake of the vaccine among school-girls? I know that the department was hoping for a 90 per cent. to 95 per cent. uptake. Are we anywhere near those targets?
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNEMy Lords, I understand that the uptake was recently 70 per cent. and has now reached somewhere around 80 per cent.
§ Lord AUCKLANDMy Lords, can my noble friend say first whether there are adequate supplies of this vaccine, particularly in rural areas? Secondly, are tests on this vaccine being tightened up, in view of the very few but tragic accidents which have happened as a result of these vaccinations?
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNEYes, my Lords, I understand that there are ample supplies of vaccine and that all efforts are made to see that the vaccine is in perfect condition.