§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if women are routinely screened for the presence of antibodies to cytomegalovirus during their antenatal care; what is the number and percentage of women that are found not to have antibodies; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe clinical content of antenatal care is a matter for the judgment of the medical profession. I understand that women attending antenatal clinics are not routinely screened for antibodies to cytomegalovirus, but this would be undertaken if a doctor considered it was appropriate in a particular case.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the number of stillbirths, first week, first month and first year deaths of infants born with congenital cytomegalovirus in each of the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergDeaths and stillbirths from congenital cytomegalovirus infection were not uniquely coded prior to 1979 but were assigned to cytomegalic inclusion disease. Numbers of infant deaths, 1971 to 1978 are as follows, together with figures for stillbirths and infant deaths from congenital cytomegalovirus infection for 1979 and 1980. Stillbirth data before 1979 are not readily available.
88W
England and Wales Stillbirths and deaths assigned to cytomegalic inclusion disease and congenital cytomegalovirus infection in the first year of life, 1971–80 ICD No. Year Stillbirths Deaths Under 1 week Under 4 Weeks Under 1 Year 079.5* 1971 N/A 2 2 4 1972 N/A — — 3 1973 N/A 1 1 3 1974 N/A 3 3 3 1975 N/A 1 1 2 1976 N/A 1 1 3 1977 N/A 3 3 5 1978 N/A 1 1 2 078.5* 1979 — 1 1 1 771.l† 1979 1 1 2 4 078.5 1980 — — — 1 771.1 1980 3 1 1 3 * Cytomegalic inclusion disease
† Congenital cytomegalovirus infection
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the estimated number of infants born with congenital cytomegalovirus infection in each of the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergInformation is not available in the form requested. The great majority of infants infected with the virus suffer no ill effects from it: it is estimated that there may be approximately 4,000 cases of such infection in England and Wales each year, of whom perhaps 10 per cent. show some evidence of damage from it.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if donor organs for transplants, including kidneys, are screened for cytomegalovirus; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI understand that this is the practice in some transplant units, but details are not collected centrally.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his Department gives any guidance on the management of children born with congenital cytomegalovirus; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergI do not think it would be appropriate for the Department to offer general guidance on the management of this condition.
In view of the wide variation in its severity and the many different symptoms which it can produce, it would seem essential for advice on the management of each affected child to be given by the individual doctor concerned with the case.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to any progress made in other countries to develop a vaccine against cytomegalovirus; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergI am advised that the only other country doing significant work in this area is the United States of America, where similar research to that in this country is being undertaken but on a larger scale.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if blood for transfusions is screened for cytomegalovirus; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeBlood for transfusions is not at present screened routinely for cytomegalovirus. The need for screening in individual cases is a matter for local clinical decision.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will issue guidance to special schools on the appropriate hygiene measures that staff should observe in the care of cytomegalovirus-damaged children.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergI expect such advice to be provided for each school by the school medical and nursing staff, in the light of local circumstances and the condition of the individual children involved. I do not think that general guidance from the Department would be either useful or appropriate.