§ Sir Julian CritchleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of children presently being vaccinated against polio. [7492]
§ Mr. HoramApproximately 600,000 children under the age of two in England are immunised against polio each year. Provisional figures for 1995–96 show that 96 per cent. of children in England were immunised against polio by their second birthday. The World Health Organisation has recognised the United Kingdom as one of the countries which have eliminated indigenous polio due to wild virus. The Government are now working to assemble the necessary data to earn a WHO certificate of eradication as part of the programme for the global eradication of polio by 2000.