§ Mr. BurnettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when the tuberculosis vaccine will be available in the south-west. [144433]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 8 January 2001]: BCG vaccine against tuberculosis is currently available in the south-west for those individuals at higher risk of TB. Routine immunisation of all school children at age 10–14 was suspended in September 1999 due to severe manufacturing problems encountered by the sole United Kingdom licensed source, Celltech Medeva.
The Department is doing all it can to secure a robust supply of UK licensed and batch released BCG vaccine, and will announce as soon as possible when the routine schools programme can resume. All those who missed their BCG vaccination due to the suspension of the programme will be recalled as part of a catch up programme.