HL Deb 21 June 2004 vol 662 cc1005-7

2.43 p.m.

Lord Chan asked Her Majesty's Government:

What they are doing to ensure that United Kingdom residents travelling to tropical countries on holiday are given appropriate advice on protection against common infections.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)

My Lords, the Department of Health makes travel information and advice available to United Kingdom travellers via its publications Health Advice for Travellers and Health Information for Overseas Travel. Those publications are also available on the Department of Health website. The department also issues latest health travel alerts on its website showing any large disease outbreaks that may affect UK travellers.

Lord Chan

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. An increasing number of Britons are travelling to tropical countries, a growing number of whom are falling ill through diarrhoeal diseases and, more seriously, suffering from malaria; there has been a doubling of deaths. Does the Minister agree that it is now time for travel agents to be given information that they can pass on to people who book travel to tropical countries so that they can be saved from not only discomfort but also danger?

Lord Warner

My Lords, the noble Lord may be aware that Health Advice for Travellers already provides a lot of information. The website is being constantly updated, including information from the FCO website. We are piloting information on the NHS digital online system and information is available on Ceefax. Certainly, we shall consider the noble Lord's issues, and I pay tribute to his work as patron of the Malaria Consortium.

Baroness Harris of Richmond

My Lords, does the Minister have any particular plans to raise the awareness of the specific dangers of skin cancer, taking note that Britain now has more skin cancer deaths than Australia?

Lord Warner

My Lords, I think that we have covered that ground before. The Government are funding the SunSmart programme that Cancer Research UK is running now, which aims to educate people about the dangers of excessive exposure to the sun's rays.

Baroness Trumpington

My Lords, can the Minister tell me the equivalent of 999 in tropical countries?

Lord Warner

My Lords, I am tempted to say that it is the Department of Health website.

Lord Taylor of Blackburn

My Lords, does my noble friend agree that there are still quite a lot of people in this country who do not have access to websites, and so forth? It is the department's responsibility to inform people who do not possess those facilities.

Lord Warner

My Lords, of course, my noble friend is right. I was merely trying to make a commercial for the Department of Health website. But we print millions of copies of Health Advice for Travellers and Health Information for Overseas Travel, which are available.

Earl Howe

My Lords, in reviewing the advice that the Government give to travellers in line with the very good suggestion made by the noble Lord, Lord Chan, will the Government also bear in mind the recent statement from Dr Nick Beeching of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine? He said that compared to 10 years ago we have roughly the same number of cases of malaria—about 2,000 to 2,500 a year—but that the majority of them are now the more lethal form of malaria. Is that not a particular cause for concern bearing in mind that, according to the institute, increasing numbers of travellers neglect to take suitable precautions?

Lord Warner

My Lords, it is correct that the number of cases fluctuates a little each year. That partly turns on rainfall in some of the Africa countries where many of the cases for imported malaria are caught. We are aware that two-thirds of imported salciparum cases, which tend to be the most fatal, occur in London. The vast majority are in the African population. The figures show that there has not been a significant year-on-year increase over the past 10 years, although there has been fluctuation between years.

Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior

My Lords, will the Minister provide information to the medical profession in this country about the dangers of antibiotic-resistant organisms and drug-resistant malaria that may be acquired in tropical countries? Travellers may be taking preventive medication in the false sense of security that they are free from any infections.

Lord Warner

My Lords, the noble Lord is right about the problems of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. That issue was covered by the Chief Medical Officer in his Winning ways document last year. We try to ensure that doctors are well aware of the therapeutic advice to give to their patients. We must hope that patients follow that advice.

Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes

My Lords, can the Minister say whether there is any regulation in relation to the purveyors of sun-creams and the claims that they make? Does his department put out advice about what strength is the least that one should use for safety purposes?

Lord Warner

My Lords, I think that advice is covered in the SunSmart campaign that Cancer Research UK is operating. I shall look further into the question raised by the noble Baroness and I shall write to her.