§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of(a) the average cost to the NHS of treating someone with influenza, (b) the number of people treated for influenza in the last year by the NHS, (c) the annual cost of influenza treatment by the NHS and (d) the cost of giving one vaccination for influenza, including (i) the costs of publicising the availability of the vaccine and (ii) other costs for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [125036]
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§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 9 June 2000]: It is not possible to give an exact cost to the National Health Service of treating someone with influenza, as the information recorded relates solely to the cost of a hospital episode for respiratory illness, not just influenza. The latest data available, which are for 1997–98, average that cost at £1,900.
The number of admissions to NHS hospitals in England coded as influenza for the financial year 1998–99 was 2,281. This will not include all admissions due to influenza which may be categorised as, for example, respiratory illness.
There is no breakdown of costs to distinguish between flu and other respiratory illnesses and therefore cost of influenza on the NHS cannot accurately be identified.
General practitioners order their own vaccines direct from manufacturers. The cost of giving an influenza vaccination would vary from practice to practice. There are five vaccines to choose from varying in price from £3.99 to £5.70 for winter 1999–2000. On top of the vaccine price, under the personal administration scheme a GP will also receive 10.5 per cent. of the list price and around £1 for each vaccine given. Information on the costs of publicity for influenza vaccine across the NHS is not collected centrally.