§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that stocks of BCG vaccine are maintained at adequate levels. [146325]
§ Yvette CooperBCG vaccine against tuberculosis is currently available for those individuals at higher risk of TB. The routine schools immunisation programme for 10 to 14-year-olds was suspended nationally from September 1999 following manufacturing problems encountered by the sole United Kingdom licensed source, Celltech Medeva. By the autumn school term last year sufficient supplies were available to allow health authorities to restart school immunisations in the London region, as the area with the highest rates and number of tuberculosis cases.
The Department is working 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 in the rest of the country. All those who missed their BCG vaccination due to the suspension will be recalled when the programme restarts.