HC Deb 01 May 1991 vol 190 c236W
Mr. Peter Bottomley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of children are immunised against diphtheria, whooping cough and measles in Eltham and Greenwich together with the corresponding figures for the south-east Thames region, England and the World Health Organisation's target percentage.

Mr. Dorrell

Provisional information for the financial year 1989–90 is shown in the table. This is the latest year for which figures are available.

Childhood Immunisation
Diphtheria Whooping cough Measles1
England 89 78 84
South East Thames RHA 89 80 82
Greenwich DHA 78 68 69
1 A combination vaccine against measles mumps and rubella (MMR) replaced measles—only vaccine from 1 October 1988.
The World Health Organisation's target for its European region was 90 per cent, coverage by 1990. More recent estimates by the COVER—Cover of Vaccination Evaluated Rapidly—programme managed by the communicable disease surveillance centre, show that by February 1991 the percentages for England had reached 90 for diphtheria, and tetanus and polio, 89 for MMR and 85 for whooping cough.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of general practitioners in Eltham and Greenwich have achieved their targets for child immunisation, pre-school boosters and cervical cytology in respect of their achievements on 1 October 1990.

Mr. Dorrell

The information is not available in the form requested. The percentages of GPs in the Greenwich and Bexley family health services authority area who received payments in respect of their achievements at 1 April 1990 are as follows:

Percentages of GPs receiving target payments
Per cent.
Childhood immunisations 60
Pre-school booster 53
Cervical cytology 79