§ Mr. Garel-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research has been conducted into the effect on absence from work due to influenza; in what respects this differs when a programme of vaccinations against influenza has been carried out; whether there have been any reports of adverse reactions to such vaccine; what steps have been taken to examine the cases of such adverse effects; and what is the annual take-up of anti-flu vaccine.
§ Sir George YoungAn investigation into the effectiveness of a campaign of vaccination against influenza was conducted766W in the Post Office during the period 1970 and 1976. The study showed that, for example, in an office of 100 people offered the vaccination, about 30 fewer working days were lost through sickness over six winter months each year than in a similar office where the offer was not made.
In most years, an average of between 20 and 30 reports of adverse reactions to influenza vaccine have been received by the Committee on Safety of Medicines. Most of them describe transient general reactions such as rash or pain at the site of an injection. In this respect the pattern of reactions does not differ from those produced by most other vaccines.
Several years ago, the then Committee on Safety of Drugs investigated a number of cases in which the injection of an influenza vaccine made up in oil had produced local tissue reactions at the injection site. These reactions were clearly due to the oil rather than to the vaccine itself; oil-based vaccines were therefore abandoned and no further trouble was reported. A small group of cases of local tissue necrosis has been reported to have resulted from vaccinations carried out in Watford on one occasion in 1977. It has not been possible to trace the batch or batches of vaccine involved, but no similar cases have been reported elsewhere.
The take-up of the vaccination is not known, but between October 1977 and September 1978 inclusive, sales of influenza vaccine totalled just under 1.8 million doses.