§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish in theOfficial Report for each regional health authority area for each of the past five years the number of cases of food poisoning from salmonella per thousand of the population.
§ Mr. DorrellThe information requested is given in the table. This information is not routinely published because the rates are not comparable either between regions or over years. There are a number of reasons for this. Specimens from residents of one region may well be examined in a laboratory in a neighbouring region. The catchment areas of laboratories are unknown and may indeed overlap. Levels of reporting between regions may vary. It is not known how much effect these factors will have on rates, or how the factors have changed over the years.
Laboratory reports to CDSC of salmonellas in faeces (cases and excretors) in England, per thousand population in each Regional Health Authority RHA 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Northern 0.17 0.43 0.32 0.43 0.67 Yorkshire 0.32 0.43 0.47 0.83 0.64 Trent 0.23 0.28 0.33 0.51 0.57 East Anglian 0.21 0.32 0.31 0.38 0.41 North West Thames 0.25 0.28 0.30 0.36 0.35 North East Thames 0.23 0.26 0.31 0.39 0.40 South East Thames 0.19 0.26 0.31 0.39 0.38 South West Thames 0.32 0.40 0.41 0.52 0.49 Wessex 0.23 0.27 0.35 0.39 0.52 Oxford 0.24 0.28 0.32 0.49 0.51 South Western 0.26 0.30 0.36 0.50 0.51 West Midlands 0.26 0.29 0.38 0.50 0.51 Mersey 0.16 0.24 0.20 0.41 0.41 North Western 0.27 0.34 0.51 0.58 0.56