Immunisation (Hansard, 21 June 1990)

§ Mr. Wigley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to ensure that the level of take-up of vaccines is consistent nationally.

§ Mr. Hannam
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that Britain reaches the World Health Organisation's target of 90 per cent. for Europe for vaccination uptake.

§ Mr. Dorrell
The Department has funded the Health Education Authority to mount a joint nationwide immunisation campaign later this year which will provide health professionals with advice and training materials and the public with information on the benefits of immunisation. The campaign will include television advertising, posters and leaflets aimed at responding to the questions most frequently raised by parents of 0 to 5-year-olds.
We have accepted the World Health Organisation's 90 per cent. target for vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella. Departmental officials hold regular meetings with district immunisation co-ordinators to advise them of national developments, identify areas of difficulty and exchange information on local initiatives.
The new contract for general practitioners which applies from 1 April 1990 provides for bonus payments if 90 per cent. of patients are immunised as recommended.

§ Mr. Hannam
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the awareness of health professionals of the contra-indications to measles and whooping cough vaccines.

§ Mr. Dorrell
Clear advice on contra-indications and false "contra-indications" is given in the new edition of the memorandum "Immunisation Against Infectious Disease", a copy of which has been issued to all doctors and to other health professionals involved in immunisation. Copies of the memorandum have been placed in the Library.

§ Mr. Hannam
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records his Department holds of the number of deaths which have occurred through non-vaccination.

§ Mr. Dorrell
Reports are made to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys of deaths from diseases for which vaccination is recommended, but it is not possible to say that all those deaths occurred in unvaccinated individuals.

§ Mr. Wigley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records his Department holds of the number of cases of disablement caused through non-vaccination.

§ Mr. Dorrell
This information is not held centrally.

§ Mr. Hannam
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to monitor the effects of the new general practitioner's contract on immunisation uptake in inner city areas.
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§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
Immunisation uptake rates in all areas are monitored routinely. The target payment system introduced in the new contract is one of a number of current initiatives aimed at increasing uptake rates. It will therefore not be possible to measure the impact of the new contract arrangements in isolation. The Government are satisfied that the target system provides a powerful incentive for GPs to undertake immunisations in all areas including inner cities.

§ Mr. Wigley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to encourage immunisation uptake among ethnic minority groups.

§ Mr. Dorrell
Public information leaflets on immunisation, funded by the Department and prepared by the Health Education Authority, including new leaflets for use in the national campaign later this year, are produced in a number of ethnic languages. In addition, health authorities with substantial ethnic minority populations mount local initiatives.

§ Mr. Hannam
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to improve the level of take-up of vaccines in inner city areas.

§ Mr. Dorrell
The Department arranged a three-day immunisation seminar last September for the 25 lowest achieving districts in England. These districts were mainly but not exclusively "inner city". The seminar analysed the reasons for low uptake. One of these was failure by parents to bring their babies for the full course of vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio, which were recommended at three, four to five and eight to 11 months. This finding contributed to the decision to accelerate the schedule from 1 May this year to two, three and four months, when mothers and babies are still attending the doctor's surgery for other reasons. In addition posters on immunisation produced by the Health Education Authority have been targeted on low uptake areas, which include the inner cities.

§ Mr. Hannam
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning the levels of immunisation uptake.

§ Mr. Dorrell
Frequent representations on immunisation uptake are received from hon. Members, and from members of the public and the health professions.
Subjects raised recently have included the publication of a new edition of the handbook "Immunisation Against Infectious Disease" (issued to all doctors) a copy of which is available in the Library; the target levels we have urged general practitioners to aim for; immunisation record cards and compulsory immunisation.
We are pleased to say that our present policy of providing the health professionals with the fullest possible information on immunisation—to enable them to persuade parents of its benefits—is leading to steady improvement in uptake, with the latest estimates showing 88 per cent. coverage for diphtheria, tetanus and polio, 85 per cent. for measles and 80 per cent. for whooping cough.