HC Deb 22 January 1985 vol 71 cc413-4W
Mr. Alfred Morris

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (a) what is the incidence of rubella handicapped births and (b) what is the rubella immunisation rate for each of the regional health authorities.

Mr. John Patten

In 1983, the latest year for which figures are available from the national congenital rubella surveillance programme, 17 children were born in England with confirmed rubella defects out of 593,255 live births. This may not be the final figure, as the condition is not always diagnosable in the first year of life.

For girls aged 14, the estimated percentage uptake rates of rubella immunisation for 1983 are as follows:

Regional Health Authority Estimated Percentage
Northern 92
Yorkshire 87
Trent 89

Regional Health Authority Estimated Percentage
East Anglian 83
North West Thames 82
North East Thames 78
South East Thames 75
South West Thames 86
Wessex 89
Oxford 78
South Western 81
West Midlands 85
Mersey 80
North Western 86
England 84

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