§ Mrs. Rosie BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will give the latest figures for the number of people vaccinated against hepatitis B;
(2) if he will give the take-up figures of hepatitis B vaccine among each of the high-risk groups identified by the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation;
(3) if he will list those areas in which general practitioners may claim item-of-service payments for administering the hepatitis B vaccine;
(4) what guidance his Department has issued to general practitioners regarding vaccination against hepatitis B for the general public and high-risk groups;
(5) what information he has regarding the link between hepatitis B and liver cancer;
(6) what is his Department's estimate of the number of hepatitis B carriers in the population;
(7) what statistics his Department collects on the incidence and treatment of hepatitis B among the general population and high-risk groups;
(8) what steps his Department has taken to publicise the availability of hepatitis B vaccines to the general public and high-risk groups.
§ Mr. Freeman[holding answer 9 March 1990]: The Department holds no figures for the number of people vaccinated against hepatitis B either in total or amongst the high-risk groups as identified by the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI). However, over 800,000 doses of the vaccine were distributed in 1989. No item-of-service fees are payable for administering hepatitis B vaccine.
59WGuidance and recommendations to general practitioners regarding hepatitis B vaccine is contained in the JCVI's memorandum "Immunisation against Infectious Disease", a new edition of which will be issued to all doctors shortly.
It is known that some sufferers of hepatitis B may go on to develop hepatocellular carcinoma. It is estimated that one in 500 of the general adult population may be carriers of hepatitis B surface antigenaemia.
Acute viral hepatitis is a notifiable disease and the public health laboratory service continues to monitor its incidence. Reports of cases to the PHLS had declined to just over 600 in 1989.
Useful information on hepatitis B is included in the Health Education Authority's (HEA) booklet "Guide to a
Ranking of Local Authority Areas (Highest Twenty) for Myeloid Leukaemia United Kingdom, 1988 Area Observed deaths Population Crude rate Expected deaths Ratio of observed to expected 1 Epsom and Ewell CD 9 67,500 13.33 2.930 3.07 2 South Staffordshire CD 10 108,100 9.25 3.524 2.84 3 Warwick CD 12 116,400 10.3 4.576 2.62 4 East Kilbride CD 7 81,686 8.56 2.677 2.61 5 Neath CD 7 65,200 10.73 2.838 2.47 6 North East Derbyshire CD 9 96,700 9.3 3.780 2.38 7 Kincardine and Deeside CD 4 48,910 8.17 1.727 2.32 8 Dinefwr CD 4 38,900 10.28 1.731 2.31 9 Stratford Upon Avon CD 10 106,800 9.36 4£385 2.28 10 Tonbridge CD 7 75,700 9.24 3.088 2.27 11 Crawley CD 7 84,400 8.29 3.126 2.24 12 Leominster CD 4 39,300 10.18 1.816 2.20 13 Mid Suffolk CD 7 77,600 9.02 3.210 2.18 14 Vale of White Horse CD1 9 112,300 8.01 4.181 2.15 15 Preseli Pembrokeshire CD 6 71,000 8.45 2.852 2.10 16 Brighton CD 14 149,200 9.38 6.908 2.03 17 Harlow CD 5 72,000 6.94 2.457 2.03 18 Llanelli CD 7 74,100 9.57 3.461 2.02 19 Cherwell CD 8 122,400 6.53 4.080 1.96 20 Delyn CD 5 65,100 7.68 2.548 1.96 Crude Rate per 100,000 population. CD—county district. 1 Harwell and Culham nuclear installations are situated within Vale of White Horse CD. Areas with fewer than four observed deaths have been excluded.