Influenza: Vaccination
(asked on 28th January 2019) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the finding of Public Health England's news story of 18 July 2018, Flu vaccine effectiveness in 2017 to 2018 that the flu vaccine was 15 per cent effective in all age groups, what steps he is taking to improve the effectiveness of the flu vaccine.
Public Health England monitors the vaccine effectiveness of influenza vaccines each year against all the strains in circulation. The effectiveness observed varies from year to year, depending on factors such as the match between those strains in circulation and those in the vaccine.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps the influenza vaccine programme under constant review and assesses new influenza vaccines ahead of licensure to ensure that improved products can be brought rapidly to the United Kingdom population. The JCVI has recently reviewed three new influenza vaccines with evidence of improved effectiveness. Further information is available at the following link:
Based on the JCVI advice, NHS England then advises doctors on when to use these newer influenza vaccines. In 2018/19 those aged 65 and above were offered adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccine. Cell cultured quadrivalent influenza vaccine will also be advised for use in 2019/20.