§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances his Department recommends that whooping cough vaccine should not be given; and what are the recommendations of the manufacturers.
§ Mr. FreemanThe recommendations of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, which the Department has accepted and which are published in the memorandum "Immunisation Against Infectious Disease", advise that if a child is suffering from any acute illness, vaccination against whooping cough should be postponed until the child has fully recovered; and that vaccination should not be given to children who have a history of severe local or general reaction to a preceding dose. "Local" and "general" are defined in the memorandum.
The JCVI also advises in the memorandum that there are certain groups of children for whom the advisability of whooping cough vaccination requires special consideration because of their own or their families histories. In such children the risk from vaccine may be higher, but the effects of the disease could be more severe. If the doctor is in doubt, he should seek advice from a consultant paediatrician or specialist in community medicine. These groups are:
- (1) children with a documented history of cerebral damage in the neonatal period;
- (2) children with a personal history of convulsions;
- (3) children whose parents or siblings have a history of idiopathic epilepsy—in such children there may be a risk of developing a similar condition irrespective of vaccination.
The manufacturer of whooping couch vaccine is bound by the terms of the product licences granted to the company for its manufacture, sale and supply as a prescription-only medicine.