PCTs given £17m cancer immunisation fund

Source: Health Service Journal

For full text link here

Year of publication: 2008

Publication Type: News Story

In a nutshell: Primary care trusts are being handed up to £17m to carry out an anti-cancer immunisation programme for teenage girls two years ahead of schedule.

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Provisional first dose HPV vaccine uptake data by PCT up to the end of November 2008

Source: Immunisation NHS

For full text link here

Year of publication: 2008

Publication Type: News Story

In a nutshell: More than 70 per cent of 12-13 year old girls have already had their first HPV (human papillomavirus) jab since the vaccination campaign started in September, Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo announced today. This figure will rise as more results come in.

The success of the campaign has prompted the Department of Health to announce that the catch up campaign to vaccinate girls aged 13-17 years will be brought forward to next year.

Department of Health Press Release: High HPV vaccination coverage already achieved (external link)

Provisional first dose HPV vaccine uptake data released 22 December 2008,

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[Short reports] Does primary immunisation status predict MMR uptake?

Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood 2009;94:49-51

For abstract link here

Year of publication: 2009

Publication Type: Qualitative Research

Length of Publication: 3 pages

In a nutshell: Objective: To investigate the relationship between primary immunisation status and MMR uptake.

Design: Nationally representative Millennium Cohort Study.

Setting: Children born in the UK, 2000–2002.

Participants: 14 578 children with immunisation data.

Main outcome measures: MMR status at 3 years, defined as immunised with MMR, immunised with at least one single antigen vaccine or unimmunised.

Results: 88.6% of children had been immunised with MMR, 5.2% had received at least one of the single antigen vaccines and 6.1% were unimmunised against measles, mumps and rubella at age 3 years. Children who were unimmunised with the primary vaccines at ages 9 months (1.2%, n = 168 ) and 3 years (0.4%, n = 67) were 13 (95% CI 10.8 to 14.7) and 17 (95% CI 14.6 to 19.7) times more likely to be unimmunised against measles, mumps and rubella compared with children who were fully immunised. They were also more likely to be immunised with at least one of the single antigen vaccines with risk ratios of 2.8 (95% 1.2 to 6.1) and 4.3 (95% CI 1.8 to 10.1). Similar but smaller associations were observed if children were partially immunised with the primary vaccines at 9 months (3.4%, n = 502) and 3 years (3.6%, n = 522) with risk ratios of 4.0 (95% 3.2 to 4.9) and 5.2 (95% 4.2 to 6.1) for no MMR immunisation, and 2.0 (95% C 1.1 to 3.6) and 1.6 (95% CI 1.1 to 2.5) for single antigen vaccine use.

Conclusion: Children who remain unimmunised with primary vaccines are also more likely not to receive MMR. More work is needed to determine how best to target this group.

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