Government responds to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee Report on pandemic influenza

9 February 2006

UVIG welcomes the decision by the Department of Health to include a vaccine against pneumococcal disease and a Hib and MenC booster vaccination in the paediatric immunisation schedule

On Wednesday, 8 February, the Department of Health announced its decision to include a vaccine against pneumococcal disease and a booster vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and Meningitis C (MenC) in the UK national paediatric immunisation schedule.

The UK Vaccine Industry Group (UVIG) supports this decision by the Department of Health and believes that the inclusion of these vaccines will result in significant public health benefits.

Serious pneumococcal diseases include meningitis, septicaemia and pneumonia. Each year in England and Wales, there are approximately 5,000 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease and around 530 of these occur in children aged under two years. Approximately 50 children under the age of two years die and many more are left with permanent disabilities. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is to be included in the UK national childhood immunisation programme from 2006/2007.

The vaccine has been licensed in the UK since 2001 and is already recommended for babies and young children considered most vulnerable to pneumococcal disease. It is already part of the routine immunisation schedule in the US, Australia and parts of Canada.

The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine will be given as part of the routine vaccination schedule at 2, 4 and 13 months.

Hib and MenC can both cause meningitis and septicaemia, and can be fatal. Vaccination against these diseases has been, and continues to be, a vital public health measure.

Currently, three doses of MenC vaccine are given to children at 2, 3 and 4 months however recent evidence shows that protection may be reduced after the first year. In order to maximise the level of protection, under the new schedule doses will be given at 3 and 4 months with a booster vaccination at 12 months.

A booster vaccination against Hib is also being included in the paediatric schedule. This will be given at 12 months.

Routine immunisation has been extremely successful at reducing infection and death from disease amongst children and the changes to the paediatric schedule outlined by the Department of Health will continue to extend and strengthen the protection offered to babies and young children.