§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about recent cases of meningitis in the area of the North Derbyshire health authority.
§ Mr. FreemanThe provisional numbers of cases notified to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys for 1988 are as follows:
Total Rate per 100,000 population England and Wales 1,309 2.61 Trent RHA 110 2.37 Derbyshire County (nearest area available 12 1.31 Notifications of meningococcal meningitis normally rise to a peak during the winter months, and the disease also appears in unexplained "clusters" of cases.