| Patient groups are today calling on the Government to vaccinate all
British children against Hepatitis B – a life threatening disease, 50
times more infectious than HIV.
Chronic Hepatitis B can develop into potentially fatal conditions such
as liver cancer and cirrhosis. It affects more than 325,000 patients in
the UK alone, and once contracted cannot be cured. However, with a
simple and effective vaccine, it can be prevented.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) called for countries to introduce
universal childhood immunisation more than 15 years ago. Since then 116
countries have complied; the UK is not among them.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), in
conjunction with the British Liver Trust and the Hepatitis B Foundation,
is petitioning Govt and demanding that urgent action is taken.
"Lives are being put at risk. A programme needs to be put into place to
ensure that all British children are inoculated against Hepatitis B,"
said Dr Richard Tiner, Medical Director, ABPI. "It is a matter of public
health. Much of the rest of Europe operates mass childhood vaccination
programmes; it is time that the UK followed suit."
Imogen Shillito, Director of Information and Education at the British
Liver Trust said: "In the UK the Government only vaccinates those deemed
to be at high risk – but evidence shows that this policy is failing. A
recent investigation into NHS use of the vaccine found only half of GP
practices are following clinical guidelines on protecting patients.
This is leaving millions of patients at risk of a preventable disease.
The Government itself has revealed that prisoners, who are particularly
at-risk, are left exposed to infection."
The calls follow the publication last month of Target Hepatitis, a joint
report which examines all variants of the disease, including Hepatitis
B, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis D, produced in association with the British
Liver Trust, Hepatitis C Trust and Hepatitis B Foundation UK. The full
report can be found at www.abpi.org.uk
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Rosalind Britton Elliott (office) 020 7747 1441
Notes to Eds:
· The hepatitis B vaccine was licensed in 1986 and was the first
licensed vaccine to prevent a form of cancer.
· Evidence on current use of the vaccine in the NHS was gathered
through a British Liver Trust-commissioned survey from Fieldwork
International, a healthcare specialist research agency, of 200 practice
nurses from separate GP surgeries throughout the UK. Questions and raw
data are available on request.
· The Government provided information on the percentage of prisoners
vaccinated in a Parliamentary answer dated 21 July 2008. The range of
vaccine coverage was between 27 and 36 per cent in the sample of
prisoners reported in the Health Protection Agency surveillance
programme.
· The Government's recommendations on vaccination are set out in the
Green Book which can be accessed via this link:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthprotection/Immunisation/Greenbook/DH_4097254
The success of the Hepatitis B Vaccine in preventing
infection was highlighted in the NHS National Institute for Health
research document "60 years of research in the NHS benefiting patients"
published for the 60th anniversary of the NHS in July 2008.
· "Routine vaccination of all infants against HBV infection should
become an integral part of national immunisation schedules worldwide" -
WHO position on hepatitis B vaccines, 2004
· The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have calculated that
the worldwide introduction of universal infant vaccination would prevent
84 per cent of HBV-related deaths, assuming 90 per cent coverage
Please consider the environment before printing this email
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE
This e-mail transmission (including all attachments) may contain confidential or legally privileged information that is intended only for the individual or entity named in the e-mail address. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or reliance upon the contents of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please reply to the sender, so that they can arrange for proper delivery and then destroy all copies of the original message. E-mail is susceptible to interception, viruses, tampering and other forms of corruption ("Corruption"). We only send and receive e-mails on the basis that we are not liable for any such Corruption.
If you no longer wish to receive information from the sender, please notify them and our records will be amended accordingly. |