Tropical Diseases (Hansard, 24 February 1997)

§ Mr. Donohoe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent during each of the last five years on provision of travel vaccinations. [16266]

§ Mr. Horam
Information is not collected in the form requested. The net ingredient costs in England for vaccines which may be given for the purposes of travel68W are given in the table. Some of the vaccines in this group will have been prescribed for reasons other than travel. The costs do not include dispensing costs. Information on the costs of administration of these vaccines by general practitioners is not held centrally.

The net ingredient cost for vaccines administered for travel¹: 1991–1995

England

Year Total cost (£ million)

1991 7.3

1992 16.5

1993 29.1

1994 40.5

1995 47.0

¹ The travel vaccines are those preparations in the British National Formulary Issue 28, September 1994, section 14.6—International travel: BCG, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis A, meningococcal A and C, normal immunoglobulin, poliomyelitis, typhoid, typhoid-paratyphoid A and B and yellow fever. Some of these vaccines will have been prescribed for reasons other than travel.

Notes
1. The data cover all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England.
2. The net ingredient costs refers to the cost of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs or fees.

§ Mr. Donohoe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the impact of introducing charges for travel vaccines on(a) the number of cases of travellers returning to the UK infected with disease and (b) the number of people receiving vaccinations before travelling abroad. [16268]

§ Mr. Horam
People do not have to pay for all travel vaccines and this policy has not changed. Travellers have always had to pay a prescription charge or the full cost for some vaccines. Free advice on appropriate measures to protect health when travelling abroad, including advice on immunisation and malaria prophylaxis, is available under the national health service.
The Department of Health keeps under review all available information on imported infectious diseases and the risk to travellers and this is taken into account in formulating policy on travel vaccines.

The net ingredient cost for vaccines administered for travel¹: 1991–1995
England
Year	Total cost (£ million)
1991	7.3
1992	16.5
1993	29.1
1994	40.5
1995	47.0
¹ The travel vaccines are those preparations in the British National Formulary Issue 28, September 1994, section 14.6—International travel: BCG, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis A, meningococcal A and C, normal immunoglobulin, poliomyelitis, typhoid, typhoid-paratyphoid A and B and yellow fever. Some of these vaccines will have been prescribed for reasons other than travel.