Hepatitis
(asked on 7th September 2016) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the devolved administrations on the UK's commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis as a serious public health threat, made at the 69th World Health Assembly in May 2016.
The United Kingdom has a comprehensive surveillance system in place combining laboratory diagnoses data, risk/behaviour data, outcome data, statistical modelling and service evaluation to monitor the cascade of care, detect outbreaks, and generate burden estimates. The UK has a national programme of screening of blood donors and blood transfusions for blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis B and C, to ensure safe supplies – 100% of blood donors are screened with quality assured methods. There is national guidance and legislation around infection control in healthcare settings including a policy for healthcare workers to prevent nosocomial transmission of blood-borne viruses. Prevention efforts in minimising harm in people who inject drugs is focused on access to opiate substitution therapies and needle syringe exchange programmes, and disinfection tablets in prisons.
Currently the UK has a selective immunisation policy for hepatitis B with a neonatal programme for those infants born to hepatitis B infected mothers, and vaccination of other high risk groups.
Public Health England has had discussions about Hepatitis C metrics for the report “Hepatitis C in the UK 2016 report - Working towards its elimination as a major public health threat” which the DAs contributed to. The report is available at the link below: