§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the rate of notification of tuberculosis among the population of the United Kingdom over the last five years.
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§ Mr. WhitneyThe latest available information is shown in the table. The systems of notification of tuberculosis differ slightly in the constituent parts of the United Kingdom, and the figures are not exactly comparable year by year.
Notification of Tuberculosis: Numbers and rates per 100,000 population—United Kingdom 1980–84 Year Number Rate 1980 10,485 18–62 1981 9,290 16–48 1982 8,448 15.00 1983 7,792 13.82 1984 7,043 12.47
§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish the costs of following up contacts of those who have developed tuberculosis during outbreaks over the last five years;
(2) if he will publish the total cost of routine vaccinations of children against tuberculosis in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. WhitneyI regret that the information is not held centrally.
§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if any studies have been made on the effect of discontinuing the current tuberculosis vaccination programme on populations at risk in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will deposit in the Library the evidence presented to him on vaccination against tuberculosis by the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation;
(3) what assessment he has made of the implications for the future incidence of tuberculosis of his decision to phase out the current vaccination programme.
§ Mr. WhitneyIn April of this year the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation considered a report on the value of the school BCG immunisation programme. This report contained evidence from other countries and information drawn from earlier studies in the United Kingdom. It included an assessment of the future incidence of tuberculosis if the present programme were to be terminated. As a result of its consideration of the report, the joint committee advised that the routine immunisation of school children should continue unchanged for the time being. The report is being prepared for publication. I will arrange for a copy of it to be placed in the Library as soon as it is available.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the total number of cases of tuberculosis which have been reported to his Department in each year since 1979.
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£ million Area Health Authorities 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 District Health Authorities 1982–83 1983–84 *1984–85 Barnet 42.1 55.0 60.2 Barnet 62.5 64.6 66.6 Brent and Harrow 54.4 70.3 80.4 Harrow 35–2 36–8 37.4 Brent 47.2 49.4 52.2 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 92.2 118.3 135.6 Hounslow and Spelthorne 47.2 49.4 52.9 Ealing 35.6 38.9 42.2 Hammersmith and Fulham 47.1 49.1 51.7
§ Mr. WhitneyThe information is shown in the table. Figures from 1982 exclude notifications associated with chemoprophylaxis. Other changes mean that the figures are not strictly comparable year by year, but the effect is minimal.
Corrected notifications of tuberculosis (all forms) England and Wales 1979–1984 Number 1979 9,266 1980 9,142 1981 8,128 1982 7,406 1983 6,800 1984 6,141