§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what progress is being made on the cytomegalovirus vaccine; if there is any evidence that it can be reactivated in pregnancy; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir George YoungThe Medical Research Council, jointly with the Health Departments and the Public Health Laboratory Service Board, has a Committee on the Development of Vaccines and Immunisation Procedures which is closely in touch with vaccination programmes and keeps the field under regular review. There is a sub-committee on cytomegalovirus and, although the Medical Research Council is not itself supporting any research specifically aimed at development of a vaccine, the sub-committee is aware of work being done in the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.
A small trial of a potential cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine is being conducted in kidney transplant patients at St. George's hospital medical school and King's College hospital in London. Initial results are encouraging, but very few patients have so far been recruited and it is hoped to extend the trial to other hospitals in the London area.
An epidemiological study of CMV infection in pregnancy is in progress at St. Bartholomew's hospital, London, and a similar study was recently begun at the Charing Cross hospital medical school. A further study is planned in Dublin.
There is some evidence that reactivation of CMV infection in pregnancy is unlikely to be a major problem; foetal damage is more likely to occur following primary infection in pregnancy in women who have had no previous infection and therefore have no immunity.