Vaccination and Vaccine Damage (Hansard, 17 February 1977)

§ Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will request all hospitals to provide information on the number of children they have seen who, on the same criteria used by Dr. J. Wilson in his 1974 report, may have suffered neurological damage as a result of vaccination, so as to obtain a further estimate of the incidence of vaccine damage.

(2) pursuant to his reply of 17th January, whether the view of his joint committee that whooping-cough disease carries a greater risk of encephalopathy than that arising from the vaccine is based solely on their estimated figure of 50 cases in the period 1964 to 1975 arising from the disease and the 20 vaccineinduced cases reported to the Committee on Safety of Medicines or whether they have additional evidence; and, if so, if he will ask the joint committee to publish it;

(3) pursuant to his reply of 17th January 1977, whether Professor Stewart has yet presented his full evidence to the joint committee; and whether it agreed with his view that social conditions have a greater influence than take up of immunisation on the incidence of whooping cough;

(4) pursuant to his reply of 17th January 1977, how many people have provided evidence, written or oral to the joint committee on aspects of whooping-cough vaccination in the last three years;

(5) pursuant to his reply of 25th January 1977, whether it is the case that publication of reports of research or investigation requested by the joint committee is always left to the discretion of those carrying out the research; and whether he is satisfied with this arrangement;

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(6) pursuant to his reply of 17th January 1977, how many reports, final and interim, on aspects of whooping cough have been received by the joint committee in each of the last three years; how many of them have been published; how many of those unpublished have been made available on request; and how many have been kept confidential;

(7) whether the joint committee has done any research on the relationship between the incidence of whooping cough and (a) living conditions, including levels of maternal and medical care, and (b) take-up rates of whooping-cough vaccination; and, if so, if he will publish it;

(8) pursuant to his reply of 25th January 1977, why figures showing what proportion of those who contract whooping cough have been immunised are not collected; if he will give an estimated figure for the proportion; and if he will give details of the way in which the efficacy of the whooping-cough vaccine is assessed;

(9) what proportion of the deaths from whooping cough occurred in babies under six months of age in each of the last five years; and if he has any information relating to the babies who died, with social class;

(10) if he will clarify the meaning of the word "offer" used in his statement of 8th February when he said that the policy of offering the whooping-cough vaccine should not be changed; whether the committee unanimously favour the present policy or whether some; and, if so, how many of the committee favour a selective offering of the vaccine;

(11) pursuant to his reply of 17th January 1977, if he will give details of how the estimate of 50 cases of encephalopathy arising from whooping cough in the years 1964 to 1975 was obtained, since the number of cases is not known;

(12) pursuant to his reply of 17th January 1977, whether the joint committee made a study of the HRC trials—whooping-cough vaccine; whether it reported its conclusions to him; and, if so, if he will publish them;

(13) in what ways it is expected that the new whooping-cough vaccine now being developed at Porton Down will differ from the one currently being used; when it will be ready for trials; how 309W many children it is anticipated will be required to take part in the trials; and if he will make a statement;

(14) if he will give the notifications and the deaths from whooping-cough per million children for each five year period since 1900; if he will express the figures as index numbers taking those for 1900 as 100; if he will give the percentage decrease for each five year period; and if he will give the same figures for scarlet fever;

(15) if he will give the ages of the four children who died from whooping cough in 1976; whether they were above or below the recommended age for whooping-cough vaccination; and whether or not they had been vaccinated;

(16) if he has taken steps to discover the criteria for establishing that brain damage is caused by vaccination used by countries which have compensation schemes; and if he will detail them;

(17) if he will list the European countries which pay compensation for vaccine damage, stating in each case whether vaccination for any disease is compulsory, and, if so, whether compensation is paid only for damage arising from the compulsory vaccination; and if he will give details of the role the Government plays in the encouragement of immunisation in each country;

(18) if he will publish in the Official Report the number of adverse reactions to vaccines reported to the Committee on the Safety of Medicines for the last three five-year periods. or for other convenient periods for which figures are available; if he will give the figures for the reactions involving the nervous system; and if he will give the number of deaths;

(19) how many clinics and general practitioners are now offering parents a choice between the triple vaccine and the double diphtheria/tetanus one which excludes whooping cough;

(20) what steps he has taken to evaluate or ensure implementation of the recommendations of the joint committee in 1974 that when there are contra-indications or parental objections, the diphtheria/tetanus vaccine should be used;

(21) if he will take steps to ensure that every parent is aware that they have a choice between the double and triple vaccine;

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(22) if he will give the evidence on which the joint committee bases its view that the incidence of brain damage following vaccination is about 1 in 300,000; what period of time the joint committee considered; whether they relied solely on reactions reported to the Committee on the Safety of Medicines; whether they did any form of sample survey; whether they requested information from paediatricians; what criteria were used in deciding that brain damage was due to vaccination; and whether they included slight, moderate and severe brain dam age;

(23) if he will request the joint committee to examine the 1974 report by Dr. J. Wilson and others, to consider the difference between the figure of 26 children suffering moderate or severe mental retardation, as a result of whooping cough vaccination in an 11-year period from 1961 to 1972, examined at one London hospital, and the estimate by the joint committee of 22 children in England and Wales who suffered brain damage as a result of whooping cough vaccination in an 11-year period from 1964 to 1975;

(24) if he will give the names of the members of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the subjects in which they are specialists, and the length of time that they have been on the committee;

(25) whether the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation have asked the German authorities for figures of the incidence of whooping cough in Hamburg and nationally before and after the whooping cough vaccine was dropped.