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Avian Influenza
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the process by which an emergency mass vaccination for influenza would take place. [21776]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: It is important to be clear about the differences between seasonal 'flu, avian 'flu and pandemic 'flu. Avian influenza is a disease which mainly affects birds. Seasonal 'flu refers to the virus that circulates in the human population and causes widespread illness each winter. Pandemic 'flu will only occur after an avian virus has mutated into a novel strain which can spread easily between humans, and to which they do not have immunity.
The Department is currently developing plans for mass vaccination for pandemic influenza. Plans will depend on a number of factors, such as the rate at which a vaccine is supplied to the United Kingdom. In October 2005, the Department announced that it is inviting manufacturers to tender for a contract to supply pandemic influenza vaccine once the pandemic strain is known. The proposal to purchase in advance the capacity needed to make a pandemic influenza vaccine will make sure that an effective vaccine is available for use in the UK as quickly as possible after an influenza starts. The UK will need approximately 120 million doses to be available as soon as possible.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is being prepared on prevention of the spread of avian influenza to humans; and what the cost has been to date. [19245]
Ms Rosie Winterton: It is important to be clear about the differences between seasonal 'flu, avian 'flu and pandemic 'flu. Avian influenza is a disease which mainly affects birds. Seasonal flu refers to the virus that circulates in the human population and causes widespread illness each winter. Pandemic 'flu will only occur after an avian virus has mutated into a novel strain which can easily spread between humans, and to which they do not have immunity.
Avian influenza is a disease of birds and very few humans have been affected. HN1 is the strain currently circulating in poultry and is known as avian (bird) 'flu. Although there is a risk that bird 'flu may spread to the United Kingdom, the risk to humans remains low. The Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has produced a contingency plan for dealing with Avian influenza and this is available on their website at: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/avianinfluenza-contplan.htm
A joint Government Department and industry working group on worker protection has produced guidance for poultry workers on protection against the risk of Avian influenza. This was published on Defra's website on 31 October and will be made available to the poultry industry through their poultry organisations. All involved in developing the guidance have borne their own costs. Defra will be paying for the production of leaflets, posters, etc.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she has put in place for enhanced medical surveillance of human population cohorts assessed as most at risk from co-infection by the H5N1 and a human host adapted influenza virus. [24011]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
It is important to be clear about the differences between seasonal 'flu, avian 'flu and pandemic flu. Avian influenza refers to the virus that circulates in the human population and cause
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widespread illness each winter. Pandemic 'flu will only occur after an avian virus has mutated into a novel strain which can spread easily between humans, and to which they do not have immunity.
The cohort at most risk from co-infection by the H5N1 and a human influenza virus is that group of people who are exposed to wild birds or poultry in which avian influenza is suspected or confirmed. Among the measures which are recommended around such incidents, which will be overseen by the Health Protection Agency, is the monitoring of the health of all such people after assessment of their risk of exposure.
Our present strategy is risk based and there is no evidence that there is at present an elevation of risk to people who are exposed to wild birds or poultry in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what priority she gives to workers in the energy industry in her contingency plans to protect key workers in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza. [20952]
Ms Rosie Winterton: It is important to be clear about the differences between seasonal 'flu, avian 'flu and pandemic 'flu. Avian influenza is a disease which mainly affects birds. Seasonal 'flu refers to the virus that circulates in the human population and causes widespread illness each winter. Pandemic 'flu will only occur after an avian virus has mutated into a novel strain which can spread easily between humans, and to which they do not have immunity.
The Government are building a stockpile of antiviral drugs to treat people who become ill with pandemic 'flu rather than for prophylaxis. Since the stockpile of Tamiflu is intended to be large enough to cover all of those likely to become ill, the issue of prioritisation between competing claims for antiviral drugs ought not to arise. However, if a pandemic strikes before the stockpile is complete or the clinical attack rate is higher than expected, antivirals will need to be prioritised, initially health care workers, and to those who fall into one of the clinical at risk" groups, as defined by seasonal 'flu. Once a vaccine for the pandemic 'flu strain has been developed, health care workers and other essential service key workers may need to be vaccinated first, as it will be important to maintain health and other essential services.
Final decisions will be made based on emerging information about the pandemic virus. However, given it is unlikely that a vaccine will be available for the first wave of a pandemic, it is important that businesses consider how they would maintain services.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to make use of (a) schools, (b) village halls and (c) other public buildings as temporary health care facilities in the event of an influenza pandemic; and if she will make a statement. [22125]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
These are issues for local planners. The UK Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan" contains estimates of potential impact on primary and secondary care which local planners can use to ensure that their contingency plans are appropriate for a potential influenza pandemic. We have also provided
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operational guidance to the national health service on preparing for an influenza pandemic to help organisations formulate their plans.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many syringes and needles she estimates will be necessary to deal with a pandemic influenza threat; what timetable has been put in place for their procurement; and if she will make a statement. [33803]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Arrangements for accessing supplies of a pandemic vaccine are still the subject of contractual discussion with manufacturers. Those arrangements will determine the requirement for needles and syringes and decisions on procurement are dependent on the outcome of those discussions.
Blood/Bone Marrow Donors
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to encourage people from black and minority ethnic communities to become (a) blood donors and (b) bone marrow donors. [35312]
Caroline Flint: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for managing blood supplies in England and North Wales and for managing the British Bone Marrow Register (BBMR). It does this through its operating division—the National Blood Service (NBS). The NBS recruits blood donors from the general public and potential bone marrow donors from the active blood donor populations.
In 2004, the NBS commissioned the Central Office of Information to lead on a long-term strategy to attract more people from ethnic communities to give blood and join the BBMR. A campaign called OneBlood" is addressing existing barriers by raising awareness of the importance and relevance of blood donation, encouraging individual and community ownership of the issue, tackling religious objections and myths and encouraging blood donation.
The NBS has also developed an advertising campaign, Are you my Type?' which features black and minority ethnic celebrities.
Borellia
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the use of prolonged intravenous ceftriaxone therapy in the treatment of Borellia infection. [34960]
Caroline Flint: The British National Formulary recommends that ceftriaxone may be used intravenously for Lyme disease associated with moderate to severe cardiac or neurological abnormalities, late Lyme disease and Lyme arthritis, with a duration of treatment of generally two to four weeks. For Lyme arthritis a suitable oral follow on antibacterial agent is needed. Early Lyme disease can be treated with doxycycline, or amoxicillin if doxycycline is contra-indicated.
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