§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what funding was provided(a) for the current year and (b) for each of the previous five years for increasing awareness of the early symptoms of meningitis; [16655]
(2) what funds are available to local community-based groups that provide advice and counselling to victims of meningitis and their families and to groups which help to increase awareness of the symptoms of meningitis; and if he will make a statement; [16652]
(3) if he will institute a programme of awareness amongst child minders, pre-school playgroups, nurseries, schools and places of further and higher education regarding identifying the early symptoms of meningitis and providing appropriate immediate treatment. [16653]
§ Mr. HoramThe Department of Health takes meningitis very seriously and recognises that appropriate awareness of the disease and parental alertness remain the best general protection. Meningococcal infections peak with most cases in children under one year; there is a second, smaller, peak in later teenagers. Information is, therefore, targeted in these areas. Health visitors provide new parents with the Health Education Authority's leaflet "A Guide to Childhood Immunisations", which includes advice on recognising the signs and symptoms of meningitis. Advice on recognising meningitis can also be found in the HEA's "Birth to Five" book which is issued to all first-time parents.
The Department of Health and the National Meningitis Trust collaborated in providing an information leaflet for parents of small children and teenagers. Public information leaflets on meningitis and septicaemia were sent to all general practitioners to be made available to the public. The HEA has also produced a leaflet and
Public health laboratory service meningococcal reference unit isolates of neisseria meningitidis by age group Age group Year under 5 5 to 14 15 to 24 25+ Not known Total 1988 672 161 260 178 83 1,354 1989 665 165 272 197 54 1,353 1990 745 169 283 231 70 1,498 1991 716 155 232 187 108 1,398 1992 687 159 229 165 61 1,301 1993 670 161 189 210 68 1,298 1994 591 134 184 171 48 1,128 1995 707 195 300 237 18 1,457 1996 647 183 336 270 56 1,492
Meningococcal infections; deaths by age groups age group Year under 5 5 to 14 15 to 24 25+ Total 1988 88 21 28 37 174 1989 97 20 41 45 203 1990 93 15 24 37 169 1991 92 18 34 26 170 1992 72 15 31 44 162 1993 81 20 23 49 173 1994 77 8 24 41 150 1995 88 19 46 43 196 Source:
Office for National Statistics Mortality Statistics: Cause, Series DH2.
182Waccompanying poster, "Look out for your mate", targeted at students which has been very widely distributed to colleges and universities. The chief medical officer held a press briefing for journalists last year to raise further public, professional and media awareness of meningitis. The chief medical officer also wrote to all doctors in January giving up-to-date advice on the early diagnosis of suspected cases of meningococcal infection and on the need for antibiotic treatment and urgent referral to hospital.
The Department of Health provides funding in a number of ways, for example to the National Meningitis Trust and the Meningitis Research Foundation to support their valuable information, advisory and support work. These organisations are also active in raising public awareness immediately prior to and during the winter peak and in providing support to those who have experienced meningitis. Through the Department's section 64 scheme, the National Meningitis Trust was awarded £15,000 in 1996–97 and the Meningitis Research Foundation was awarded £19,840 in 1996–97. Both are national organisations with local community branches.
The costs of preparing, printing and distributing leaflets and posters such as "A Guide to Childhood Immunisations", which is updated annually, are produced each year, and more than 1 million "Look out for your mate" leaflets and 9,300 posters have been distributed since October 1996.
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people by age group suffered from meningitis during the past 10 years; how many of those cases resulted in fatalities or contributed to death; and of he will make a statement. [16654]
§ Mr. HoramThe number of isolates of Neisseria meningitidis and number of deaths by age group are given in the tables. The information is available only from 1988; for deaths, data are to 1995.