§ Mr. DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice the Chief Medical Officer has issued to(a) public officials, (b) civil servants and (c) Ministers facing the risk of infection with hepatitis A on overseas visits, on the choice to be made between British-derived γ-(gamma-)globulin and the alternative hepatitis A vaccine. [61058]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 27 November 1998]: Advice to all these groups is the same as for other travellers.
§ Mr. DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what efforts have been made to obtain alternative supplies of hepatitis A vaccine as an alternative to British-derived γ-(gamma-)globulin; and with what results. [61052]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 27 November 1998]: There are circumstances where Hepatitis A vaccination is not clinically appropriate because of the time delay between its administration and the resulting protection becoming effective.
Two licensed Hepatitis A vaccines and non United Kingdom sourced gammaglobulins are already available.
§ Mr. DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will assess the advantages and disadvantages of banning the use of British-derived γ-(gamma-)globulin; [61055]
(2) what assessment he has made of the advantages of a ban on the use of British-derived Anti-D. [61048]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 27 December 1998]: On 26 February 1998 the Committee on Safety of Medicines advised that the National Health Service Bio Products Laboratory and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service's Protein Fractionation Centre take steps to source products from plasma derived from outside the United Kingdom including Anti-D and gamma globulin. The Committee further advised that this should be done within a timeframe to be agreed with the committee, giving regard to the effects on the supply of all products but especially of vital and less readily obtainable life saving products. In the meantime, the Committee did not advise withdrawal of licensed UK sourced Anti-D and gamma globulin products. I have accepted the Committee's advice and will keep the matter under review in the light of any further advice or changed circumstances.
204W
§ Mr. DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the risk of contamination of British-derived γ-(gamma-)globulin stocks within the NHS with the infective agent of new variant CJD; [61056]
(2) what assessment he has received of the risk of contamination of British-derived Anti-D stocks within the NHS with the infective agent of new variant CJD. [61049]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 27 November 1998]: The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) completed its review of the sourcing of blood products in May and advised that the theoretical risk that new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease could be transmitted by blood products could not be discounted. The Committee further advised that The National Health Service Bio Products Laboratory and the Protein Fractionation Centre should move to sourcing products from plasma derived outside the United Kingdom within a time frame agreed between the CSM and giving due regard to the need for uninterrupted supply of all products including Anti-D and gammaglobulin.
§ Mr. DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Canadian Government on the importation of British blood products into that country. [61146]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 27 November 1998]: We have had no such discussions with the Canadian Government.
No officials at the National Blood Authority (including the Blood Products Laboratory) have had discussions with the Canadian Government about the issue of importing blood products from the United Kingdom to Canada.
However, officials will continue to maintain close contact with their counterparts in Canada and a number of other countries on issues related to blood products.
§ Mr. DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what efforts have been made to obtain alternative supplies of ready-made Anti-D from foreign sources; and with what results;
(2) what efforts have been made to obtain alternative supplies of ready-made γ-(gamma-)globulin for hepatitis A protection from foreign sources; and with what results. [61051]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 27 November 1998]: In the case of anti-D it is crucial to maintain licensed supplies of this essential treatment and non United Kingdom sourced product made in this country will be available from mid 1999. In the meantime one licensed non UK derived product is already available, and we are exploring other sources. There are currently adequate supplies of licensed non UK sourced gammaglobulin products in the country.
The Department's advice to doctors on all issues relating to immunisation is contained in "Immunisation against infectious disease" (1996) and is an Her Majesty's Stationery Office publication. This advice states that active immunisation with Hepatitis A vaccine is the preferred method of protection against Hepatitis A infection.