§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the annual cost of universal vaccination of children against hepatitis B. [19218]
§ Mr. HoramAt manufacturers' current listed prices, annual vaccine costs for one birth cohort would be in the region of £17 million. The total cost of universal immunisation against hepatitis B will comprise of vaccine costs, the costs of administering the vaccine, and other costs of carrying out the immunisation programme. Costs of administering the vaccine could vary depending on the immunisation programme chosen.
§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to implement the World Health Organisation's recommendation on hepatitis B vaccination. [19219]
§ Mr. HoramHepatitis B vaccine has been used in this country since 1982 and is currently recommended for those at increased risk of infection. The Department of Health is considering the implications of the World Health Organisation's recommendation for countries such as the United Kingdom, which has one of the lowest prevalence rates of chronic hepatitis B carriers in the world.
§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the cost-effectiveness of universal hepatitis B vaccinations for children. [19220]
§ Mr. HoramThe cost-effectiveness of universal hepatitis B vaccination for children is dependent on many factors, including the prevalence of hepatitis B infection in the population, the age at which immunisation is offered, the coverage achieved, vaccine efficiency, changes in the risks of exposure to the virus, the cost of the immunisation programme chosen, and the morbidity and mortality prevented as a result of that programme. The Department has commissioned research to develop a mathematical model of hepatitis B transmission dynamics to assist in this work.
§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned into the duration of antibody response in children vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccination. [19221]