§ Miss KirkbrideTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost per child of the MMR vaccine is; and if he will estimate the cost per child if separate vaccinations were given to children for measles, mumps and rubella. [138898]
§ Yvette CooperThe United Kingdom is supplied by two manufacturers of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and by one supplier of rubella vaccine. The cost to the Department of purchasing MMR and rubella vaccines is commercially confidential. However, the price of a single dose of MMR vaccine as listed in the British National Formulary is £6.23 for that manufactured by SmithKline Beecham and £10.17 for that manufactured by Aventis Pasteur. The list price for rubella vaccine, manufactured by SmithKline Beecham, is £2.53 per vial.
Children are recommended to receive two doses of MMR vaccine. Rubella vaccine is recommended for non-immune women. Single antigen measles and mumps vaccines are not licensed in the United Kingdom.
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§ Miss KirkbrideTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if the meningitis C vaccine recently introduced in the NHS is the same as the vaccine is authorised for use in the USA. [138837]
§ Yvette CooperThe United Kingdom was the first country in the world to introduce and use the new meningococcal Group C conjugate vaccine.
§ Miss KirkbrideTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if the present MMR vaccine used by the NHS is the same as authorised for use in the USA. [138836]
§ Yvette CooperThe United Kingdom is supplied by two manufacturers of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, SmithKline Beecham and Aventis Pasteur. We are advised by the manufacturers that the SmithKline Beecham product is not currently marketed in the United States of America but that the Aventis Pasteur MMR vaccine is. We are also advised that the Aventis Pasteur MMR vaccine marketed in the USA is manufactured and formulated to the same set of specifications as that vaccine used in the United Kingdom.
§ Miss KirkbrideTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which attenuated viruses are used in the creation of the MMR vaccine; and for which diseases. [138895]
§ Yvette CooperThere are two measles, mumps and rubella vaccines authorised in the United Kingdom. Both contain live attenuated measles, mumps and rubella viruses in the preparation. The combination vaccine is used for active immunisation against these viruses.
§ Miss KirkbrideTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children, in each health authority region, have received the MMR vaccination(a) this year and (b) in the last five years. [138897]
§ Yvette CooperThe information available about the percentage of children receiving measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations is contained in the Statistical Bulletin "NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 1999-2000". A copy of the bulletin is in the Library and can also be found on the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0026.htm.
§ Miss KirkbrideTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the research commissioned by him on the possible side effects of the meningitis C vaccine most recently introduced in the NHS. [138899]
§ Yvette CooperA number of the studies which led to the licensing of the new meningitis C vaccines in the United Kingdom were undertaken by the Public Health Laboratory Service and funded by the Department. Many of these have already been published in the medical literature and others have been submitted for publication. An up-to-date reference list has been placed in the Library.
Following a recent review of the safety of the new meningitis C vaccines, a joint Statement from the Chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation was released. Copies of this have also been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children of school age have waited over one year beyond the recorded date for their BCG vaccination in each of the last three years. [138989]
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§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 17 November 2000]: BCG vaccine has been in limited supply for some time due to severe manufacturing problems encountered by the sole United Kingdom licensed source, Celltech Medeva. As a result, we had no alternative but to request health authorities suspend their routine schools immunisation programme for 10 to 14-year-olds from September 1999. In the meantime, stocks are being used specifically for those at higher risk.
On 19 July, the Department announced that there is now sufficient supply of vaccine to restart the routine schools programme initially in the London area, where the highest rate of tuberculosis in the country currently occurs. The Department hopes to announce shortly when there will be enough vaccine to restart routine immunisation in the rest of the country.
Information on the number of children of school age who have waited over one year or beyond for their BCG vaccination is not routinely available.