HL Deb 25 June 1997 vol 580 cc177-8WA
Baroness Macleod of Borve

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many new cases of poliomyelitis have been reported in each of the last five years.

Baroness Jay of Paddington

Cases of poliomyelitis are categorised as caused by wild virus, vaccine associated or imported aetiology. There has not been a single confirmed case of indigenous wild virus polio in the United Kingdom for more than a decade. The number of cases of polio reported to the Public Health Laboratory Service for the last five years are given in the table. Between 1992 and 1996 over 30 million doses of oral polio vaccine were distributed in the UK.

Cases of paralytic poliomyelitis reported to the Public Health Laboratory Service (England and Wales 1992–96)
Vaccine associated 1 Imported Total cases
1996 0 0 0
1995 0 0 0
1994 0 0 0
1993 2 1 3
1992 2 0 2
1Vaccine associated cases cover those that are recipients of polio vaccine and those that occur in contacts of recently immunised people who were themselves not adequately immune.

The Department of Health is now working to assemble the necessary data to earn a World Health Organisation certificate of eradication as part of the programme for the global eradication of polio.