§ Mr. Kevan JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason it was decided to establish a national stockpile of smallpox vaccine; who took the decision; and on what date. [53930]
§ Mr. HuttonThe United Kingdom has held a substantial stockpile of smallpox vaccine for contingency purposes since smallpox vaccination ceased in the 1970s. The existing stock of vaccine is nearly 30-years-old. Although the vaccine has retained its potency, the technology underpinning these stocks is now also 30-years-old. In the aftermath of the events of September 11, we reviewed our ability to deal with terrorist attacks involving biological weapons. We have decided that the sensible course of action is to up-date our existing smallpox vaccine supplies with new supplies of cell based vaccines to reflect advances in vaccine development and safety standards.
Ministers took the decision to proceed to purchase smallpox vaccine on 11 March, and a contract was signed with PowderJect on 11 April.
§ Mr. Kevan JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of smallpox vaccine have been procured; at what cost; and how was the number of doses determined. [54022]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department is not putting information about the size of its smallpox vaccine stock or its deployment in the public domain as this is information that might be useful to terrorists. As smallpox has been eradicated since the 1970s, its re-introduction into the UK is only likely if there is a terrorist attack on the United Kingdom. This therefore raises issues of national security. The cost 01 the current procurement is £32 million.
726WMicrobiology laboratories in England and Wales have been voluntarily reporting MRSA bacteraemias to the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) for many years. Provisional quarterly data are published in the CDR Weekly. Corrected annual data have been published recently in the 1999–2000 Review of Communicable Disease.
Some private microbiology laboratories report some infections to the PHLS, but these are a very small proportion of reports received.
Data from a voluntary system are shown as follows:
§ Mr. Kevan JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if the smallpox vaccine to be supplied by Powderject will be trialled. [53932]
§ Mr. HuttonThere are currently no plans to undertake clinical trials of the smallpox vaccine in the United Kingdom. Since smallpox does not currently exist in the population, trials of protective efficacy are not possible.
The European Union committee for proprietary medicinal products is currently considering the requirements for the development and manufacture of second generation smallpox vaccine, which will include guidance on the design of clinical trials.
§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which population of humans will be targeted in clinical testing of smallpox vaccines; and what tests will be used to determine immunity protections. [53902]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 2 May 2002]: There are currently no plans to undertake clinical trials of the smallpox vaccine in the United Kingdom. Since smallpox does not currently exist in the population, trials of protective efficacy are not possible.
The European Union committee for proprietary medicinal products is currently considering the requirements for the development and manufacture of second generation smallpox vaccine, which will include guidance on the design of clinical trials.
§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2002,Official Report, column 460W, on the smallpox vaccine, who the members of the specially convened sub-group of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation are; what their institutional and commercial affiliations are; and how often the sub-group meets. [53897]
727W
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 2 May 2002]: The expert sub-group, under the chairmanship of the chair of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI), was convened by the Department. The sub-group was comprised of those core members of the JCVI with experience relevant to smallpox vaccine issues, other experts with related expertise in virology, communicable disease control, smallpox eradication, intensive clinical care, smallpox research, and vaccine production and licensing. The Ministry of Defence and the Department were also fully represented at the meeting. In the interests of national security, the discussions were confidential as they related to the nation's preparedness to deal with a bioterrorist attack, and the experts gave their individual views on this basis. The names of the participants are therefore not being made public.
A declaration of interests and their academic affiliations is required of all members of the JCVI and a full list of members and their interests is shortly to be placed in the Library.
The expert sub-group has met five times since 11 September on an ad hoc basis to advise on medical countermeasures and outbreak control issues for smallpox and other biological agents. The sub-group was convened on an ad hoc basis and there is no timetable for regular meetings.
§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to issue information on smallpox vaccination quantities and deployment to(a) local authorities, (b) local hospitals and (c) the police. [53903]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 2 May 2002]: As smallpox has not occurred naturally in the world since the 1970s, its re-introduction into the UK is likely to be as the result of a direct terrorist attack on our country. This raises issues of national security as well as public health. For this reason the Department is not making public details about the quantities of vaccine stocks or vaccine deployment, as this might be information that could be useful to terrorists. The Department issued guidance to all health authorities and regional directors of public health on the procedures to be followed in the event of a deliberate release of smallpox and other biological agents, on 17 October. At the same time, guidance for medical and laboratory staff was issued by the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) concerning the precautions to be adopted in the event of an outbreak of smallpox. This advice is available on the PHLS website: http:// www.phls.co.uk/advice/smallpox—guidelines.pdf
In the event of an outbreak, more detailed information for patients and the public will be made available.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long it will take Powderject to develop the plant and methodology to produce smallpox vaccine. [53901]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 2 May 2002]: PowderJect's chosen UK partners, Bavarian Nordic, are already producing the smallpox vaccine to meet the UK contract.
§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what contact his officials have had with Impfstoffwerke Dessau Tornav in connection with the supply of smallpox vaccine. [54863]
728W
§ Mr. HuttonAn official from the Department accompanied officials from the Ministry of Defence on a visit to Bavarian Nordic and Impfstoffwerke Dessau Tornav at the end of January on a fact-finding visit to discuss vaccine developments and manufacturing techniques and capacity for both types of smallpox vaccine being made by the company.
§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Health where the smallpox vaccine to be acquired under the contract with PowderJect Pharmaceuticals is to be manufactured; and which company will be responsible for its manufacture. [54864]
§ Mr. HuttonUnder the contract recently awarded to PowderJect, the smallpox vaccine will be manufactured in Germany under the responsibility of PowderJect and its collaborative partner Bavarian Nordic.