§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the potential health hazards posed to humans by the import and use of non-human primates in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [47999]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 10 May 2002]: There is a statutory obligation under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations placed upon employers importing and using non-human primates to assess the potential health risks of their activities to both their employees and to others who might be affected by their undertaking. The potential risks will vary according to the different purposes the primates are being used for and the origin of the primate.
Guidance was issued in 1997 from the advisory committee on dangerous pathogens (ACDP), in consultation with the Health and Safety Executive, entitled "Working safely with research animals: Management of infection risks". This summarises the infection risks to humans posed by non-human primates most commonly used in research.
Further supplementary guidance entitled "Working safely with simians: Management of infection risks" was issued by the ACDP in 1998 addressing the particular risks posed to those working with simians (apes and monkeys). This guidance revised and updated earlier guidance on infections associated with simians first issued by the Medical Research Council in 1985, revised in 1990.