HC Deb 25 February 2002 vol 380 cc981-3W
Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children received a mumps vaccine in(a) each county or health authority and (b) England in each of the five years before the introduction of the MMR vaccine; and what proportion those who has received the vaccine represented of the total number of children under five years of age. [34359]

Yvette Cooper

[holding answer 7 February 2002]: Single mumps vaccine has never been recommended in the United Kingdom and there was no data collected centrally.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have received the MMR vaccine in(a) each county or health authority and (b) England in each year since its introduction; and what proportions of those who had received (i) the MMR vaccine and (ii) the single measles vaccine represented of the total number of children under five years of age. [34355]

Yvette Cooper

[holding answer 7 February 2002]: Information on the number of children who have received MMR vaccine by health authority has been placed in the Library. There were a number of changes in HAs over the period since MMR was introduced to date so a separate sheet is shown for each year. Routine requests for information about the uptake of single measles vaccine were discontinued in 1994 but there were no returns shown for the single vaccine after 1991–92.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children received, either by means of single or combined MMR vaccine, inoculation against(a) measles, (b) mumps and (c) rubella, in each year since the introduction of the MMR vaccine, in (i) each county or health authority and (ii) England; and what proportion they represented of the total number of children under five years of age. [34498]

Yvette Cooper

[holding answer 8 February 2002]: The available information about children under five years of age who have received the single measles, single rubella or MMR vaccine for each year since the introduction of MMR has been placed in the Library.

Routine requests for information about the uptake of single measles vaccine were discontinued in 1994 and there were no returns for the single measles vaccine after 1991–92.

Single rubella vaccine was not available for children under five years of age.

Single mumps vaccine has never been recommended in the United Kingdom and there were no data collected centrally.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children received a single(a) mumps, (b) measles and (c) rubella vaccine in each year since the introduction of the MMR vaccine in (i) each county or health authority and (ii) England. [34497]

Yvette Cooper

[holding answer 8 February 2002]: The available information about children under five years of age who have received the single measles and single rubella vaccine for each year since the introduction of MMR has been placed in the Library. Routine requests for information about the uptake of single measles vaccine were discontinued in 1994 and there were no returns for the single measles vaccine after 1991–92. Single rubella vaccine was not available for children under five years of age.

Single mumps vaccine has never been recommended in the United Kingdom and there were no data collected centrally.

Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has evaluated on the financial costs of the administration of the(a) MMR vaccination and (b) three separate vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella. [34543]

Yvette Cooper

None. Cost is not a consideration in recommendations about MMR vaccine.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children received the rubella vaccine in(a) each county or health authority and (b) England in each of the five years before the introduction of the MMR vaccine; and what proportion those who had received the vaccine represented of the total number of children under five years of age. [34358]

Yvette Cooper

[holding answer 7 February 2002]: The rubella vaccine was not recommended for children under five years of age prior to the introduction of the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in 1988.

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of eligible children have been vaccinated with single measles/mumps/rubella injections in the last(a) three months, (b) 12 months and (c) three years. [34879]

Yvette Cooper

[holding answer 11 February 20021: The information requested is not available centrally.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged four or five years old have taken the first MMR vaccine but not the booster; and what proportion they represent of the cohorts. [35216]

Yvette Cooper

[holding answer 11 February 2002]: For the quarter July to September 2001, coverage of one dose of MMR at five years of age is 91.3 per cent. for England, Wales and Northern Ireland while coverage of two doses of MMR at five years of age is 73.4 per cent. By five years of age, 17.9 per cent. of children immunised with one dose of MMR have not received the second dose at school entry.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the anticipated cost is of the planned MMR advertising campaign; and when it was first commissioned. [35215]

Yvette Cooper

[holding answer 11 February 2002]: Work to provide information on MMR to health professionals and the public is ongoing and has continued over several years, as part of a programme of work on immunisation information. The full details of any new MMR information campaign have yet to be confirmed.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is per patient of a course of(a) MMR vaccine, (b) single measles vaccine, (c) single rubella vaccine and (d) single mumps vaccine. [35213]

Yvette Cooper

[holding answer 11 February 2002]: I refer to the reply given to the hon. Member for the Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) on 20 March 2001, Official Report, column 133W.

Miss Kirkbride

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when and upon what advice the Government withdrew the licence for single vaccinations of measles, mumps and rubella in the United Kingdom. [35411]

Yvette Cooper

We have never received advice to withdraw the licences for single vaccinations of measles, mumps or rubella.

One mumps vaccine, four rubella and four measles vaccines have a current licence.

Miss Kirkbride

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which countries in the EU allow children to be given single inoculations for measles, mumps and rubella. [24263]

Yvette Cooper

My answer of 12 February 2002,Official Report, column 321W, contained an inadvertent error in that it stated "prevent" instead of "permit". The correct position is: As far as we are aware, all European Union countries recommend MMR as the safest way to protect children.

We are not aware of any EU country where the health service routinely offers parents a choice of MMR or single vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella.

Like the United Kingdom, EU countries permit the use of licensed vaccines, including single vaccines.