Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase access to (1) testing, (2) vaccination, and (3) treatment, for Mpox patients (a) in England, and (b) globally.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the National Health Service, and partners have well tested response capabilities to detect, contain, and treat novel infectious diseases, including Mpox.
The United Kingdom has sufficient testing capabilities in place to test for the different types of Mpox, as the UKHSA and some NHS laboratories can do the primary test for Mpox, and the UKHSA has requested that all NHS confirmed Mpox samples are sent to the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory at the UKHSA, who can provide specialist polymerase chain reaction and genomic sequencing to determine the clade type.
The UKHSA is working closely with NHS England and has developed algorithms, which have been shared across the NHS, to support referrals of suspect cases for assessment. As part of the UKHSA’s well established preparedness plans, we have a supply of vaccines to vaccinate contacts of cases, and to vaccinate those in transmission networks connected to cases, as appropriate.
The Government is committed to helping the international response. The UK is the second largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, providing £1.65 billion over the 2020 to 2025 period. We are also working closely with them on ensuring sustainable and effective access to Mpox vaccines for low and middle income countries.
Critical to the management of any infections in the UK will be the rapid identification of any possible cases, with appropriate isolation and swift follow-up to trace and support identified contacts. We are placing a strong emphasis on ensuring there are high levels of awareness among clinicians about the risk and the actions they need to take when presented with possible cases. An update on case definitions and a briefing note has been issued.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on vaccinating badgers to help tackle the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Over the past few years, several initiatives have been introduced to encourage take up of badger vaccination over larger, more contiguous areas.
As a result of these step, more than 3,000 badgers were vaccinated in England in 2023. This the highest number ever vaccinated annually in England to date
On 30 August, the Government announced the start of work to refresh the Bovine TB strategy for England, to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament and drive down disease to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods. This will be undertaken in co-design with farmers, vets, scientists and conservationists, ensuring a refreshed strategy continues to be led by the best scientific and epidemiological evidence and advice.
As part of this announcement, a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force will be established. This will increase badger vaccination to drive down TB rates and protect badgers. A badger vaccination study will also be carried out. This will supplement the Field Force. The Government will rapidly analyse the effect of badger vaccination on the incidence of TB in cattle to encourage farmers to take part and provide greater confidence that doing so will have a positive effect on their cattle.
Further details can be found on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-end-badger-cull-with-new-tb-eradication-strategy.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis is for not extending the respiratory syncytial virus immunisation programme to all children under the age of one year.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
There are currently no approved respiratory syncytial virus vaccines for children under the age of one year. This is a dynamic area and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, supported by The UK Health Security Agency, is continuing to keep the evidence and its advice under review.
However, it is important to be aware that the maternal vaccine is now available to pregnant women via the National Health Service, precisely to provide protection to children in the first year of life. We would strongly encourage everyone that is eligible to take up this offer as the most effective way to protect your child.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of vaccines in keeping people healthy and in work, what steps they will take to support the development and deployment of new and innovative vaccines, and what steps they will take to increase vaccine take up.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom has one of the most extensive immunisation programmes in the world, with high vaccine confidence and uptake rates. The UK’s immunisation programme is acknowledged to be world leading in its ability to innovate and achieve value for money, and plays an important role in the Government’s focus on preventing people from getting ill.
The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation. The Department does not currently ask the JCVI to complete an assessment of the wider productivity and economic benefits of an immunisation programme, but rather focuses on the range of health benefits that arise from vaccination, including the prevention of hospitalisation and death.
The JCVI has a horizon scanning subcommittee, which reviews evidence from industry to understand new products under development, and to identify evidence gaps early, ensuring that they have the right information to assess those products in a timely manner once they reach the right phase of the approvals process. The Department is working with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to increase vaccine uptake, reduce inequalities, and ensure maximum population protection from preventable diseases. The NHS Vaccination Strategy sets out how the National Health Service and partners are aiming to maximise uptake and coverage of vaccinations across all communities.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to (a) review take up levels of vaccinations and (b) raise awareness of the potential benefits of vaccinations (i) in childhood and (ii) for tackling (A) flu and (B) covid-19.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors and reviews vaccination coverage, including the assessment of barriers that reduce the uptake of vaccination, for all routine immunisation programmes in England.
To raise awareness of vaccination benefits, the Government provides information in multiple languages and accessible formats, runs e-learning programmes, provides training for healthcare professionals, and carries out national marketing campaigns.
Working with the Department and NHS England, the UKHSA runs national marketing campaigns to encourage greater uptake of childhood immunisations. The next campaign will start at the end of August 2024, and will run for six weeks.
During autumn and winter, a national communication campaign for winter vaccines, including flu and COVID-19, will target those in eligible cohorts, to ensure that they are aware of the benefit of having their vaccines.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date NHS England informed patients receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine that there were safety risks of vaccine-induced thrombosis with thrombocytopenia associated with the vaccine.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
To ensure informed consent was given by patients who received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, all vaccination sites were instructed to follow consent guidance in line with the recommendations set out in chapter two of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book on vaccinations and immunisations.
Healthcare organisations administering any COVID-19 vaccinations are responsible for drawing up their own policies for obtaining informed consent, and health professionals overseeing or administering COVID-19 vaccines are responsible for ensuring that valid consent has been obtained. This would normally involve a discussion with the clinician prior to the administration of the vaccine, and individuals will also have had access to guides and patient information leaflets which provided details about the vaccine, how it is administered, possible side effects, and other warnings and precautions to take.
Regarding the very rare adverse events of concurrent thrombosis and thrombocytopenia associated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, NHS England notified healthcare organisations administering the COVID-19 vaccinations immediately following the updated advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation published on 7 April 2021, and then again following updated advice on 7 May 2021. In these updates, sent via system letters, NHS England set out the next steps for healthcare organisations and clinicians, including on the consent process.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England took to ensure that informed consent was given by recipients of the Oxford-AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
To ensure informed consent was given by patients who received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, all vaccination sites were instructed to follow consent guidance in line with the recommendations set out in chapter two of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book on vaccinations and immunisations.
Healthcare organisations administering any COVID-19 vaccinations are responsible for drawing up their own policies for obtaining informed consent, and health professionals overseeing or administering COVID-19 vaccines are responsible for ensuring that valid consent has been obtained. This would normally involve a discussion with the clinician prior to the administration of the vaccine, and individuals will also have had access to guides and patient information leaflets which provided details about the vaccine, how it is administered, possible side effects, and other warnings and precautions to take.
Regarding the very rare adverse events of concurrent thrombosis and thrombocytopenia associated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, NHS England notified healthcare organisations administering the COVID-19 vaccinations immediately following the updated advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation published on 7 April 2021, and then again following updated advice on 7 May 2021. In these updates, sent via system letters, NHS England set out the next steps for healthcare organisations and clinicians, including on the consent process.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including carers in the eligibility criteria for the Spring 2024 Covid Vaccination Programme.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Government remains committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). On 7 February 2024, the JCVI published further advice on the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. The JCVI advice is that a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered in spring 2024 to those at greatest risk of serious disease, and who are therefore most likely to benefit from vaccination. Those eligible are: adults aged 75 years old and over; residents in a care home for older adults; and individuals aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in chapter 14a of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book. The JCVI’s advice for spring 2024, including the approach to eligibility, is available via the following link:
The Government has accepted this advice, and the spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme is now in progress. The spring programme is targeted to those at highest risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19. Whilst carers as a group are therefore not recommended for vaccination in this programme, any carer who falls within one of the above cohorts will be eligible. Everyone who is eligible is encouraged to take up the offer of spring COVID-19 vaccination.
Asked by: Andy Carter (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase uptake of the shingles vaccine by people aged over 65 in Warrington.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended that those who are eligible for the shingles vaccine should change, to allow individuals to be protected at an earlier age, particularly those that have a weakened immune system. Based on the evidence, they recognised that there may be more clinical benefit from starting shingles vaccinations at a lower age, with modelling indicating that a greater number of cases of shingles would be prevented with vaccination at 60 years old for immunocompetent individuals, and 50 years old for immunosuppressed individuals. The committee advised that the programme should be implemented in stages, starting with those that are over 50 years old with a weakened immune system and those turning 65 and 70 years old, then eventually moving down to those turning 60 years old. This is a similar pattern to the roll out of the shingles vaccine from 2013. This is why the vaccine offer has been expanded to all those turning 65 and 70 years old and all those over 50 years old with a weakened immune system, from 1 September 2023. The programme began on 1 September 2023 and will run until 31 August 2028, offering the vaccine to people as they turn 65 and 70 years old, until the offer has been made to all those aged 65 to 70 years old. It will then expand to offering the vaccine to all those that are turning 60 and 65 years old, from 1 September 2028.
The shingles vaccine is available through general practice (GP) surgeries in primary care, and GPs are required to identify and put in place a call or recall arrangement to offer the shingles vaccination to eligible patients. All eligible patients are contacted by their GP surgery to invite them for vaccination. The GP will then follow up with letters or with calls and text messages, to encourage eligible people that have not come forward to take up the offer.
There is a wide range of public facing information to help increase uptake of the shingles vaccine, and to publicise the programme in GP surgeries and online, including display bunting, leaflets, and posters. GPs are also adding messages regarding shingles to their practice websites, prescription counterfoils, and social media banners. Public facing information regarding the shingles vaccination programme includes translations into over 20 different languages including braille, audio, large print, and British Sign Language. Information for healthcare professionals, including GP toolkits for improving uptake of shingles vaccination, has also been produced and published by local immunisation commissioning teams.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase pertussis vaccination rates among (a) young children and (b) pregnant women.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), in partnership with NHS England and the Department, undertakes a range of actions to improve vaccination coverage for all ages in England. This includes initiatives to improve access to the immunisation programme, data to better identify under-served individuals and populations, training for healthcare professionals, and communication with the public.
For example, on 4 March 2024, the UKHSA launched a new multi-media marketing campaign across England to remind parents and carers of the risk of their children missing out on protection against serious diseases that are re-emerging in the country, with an urgent call to action to catch up on missed vaccinations.
Expectant mothers are encouraged to take up the maternal pertussis vaccine, which is 97% effective at preventing death in young infants from whooping cough. Parents and carers are also being reminded to check that children are vaccinated against whooping cough, which is offered to all infants at eight, 12, and 16 weeks of age, as part of the six in one combination vaccine, with an additional dose included in the pre-school booster vaccine.