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The Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) has undertaken an inquiry into prevention and has published its first report of the series which focuses on vaccination. It has announced ten workstreams that will form the basis of inquiry, of which vaccination is one. HSCC said: "The UK has long been one of the world leaders on vaccination - one of the most successful and cost-effective preventative tools available. However, if challenges around uptake and bureaucratic processes in clinical trial set-up are not addressed, there is a very real risk that the UK's position as a global leader could be lost. This cannot be allowed to happen and in this report we set out some of the steps that we think will make a difference." It recommended a more flexible delivery model making use of a wider range of healthcare professionals. "The NHSE vaccination and immunisation strategy must have a strong focus on tackling practical challenges that limit vaccination access, make best use of a wider array of professionals, empower local leaders to pursue ways of addressing uptake in their own areas, and to set out guidance and examples of best practice around how voices other than NHSE can communicate important messaging around vaccination programmes," it suggested.

American global healthcare company, Viatris, has launched a new rapid self-test for qualitative detection of antibodies developed after Covid-19 vaccinations. The firm is going to market the Covid-19 Neutralising IgG Serological self-test, manufactured by PRIMA Lab SA, in the UK market, which would check presence of neutralising antibodies after vaccination. The presence of antibodies indicates that a person has had an immune response to the Covid-19 vaccine, and not that protective immunity has been acquired. The self-test that can be performed easily at home with a small blood sample, delivers results in just 10 minutes and has a recommended retail price of sub £20. After two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, the self-test has shown a seroconversion rate of 98.3 per cent for the Pfizer vaccine, 98.5 per cent for the AstraZeneca vaccine and 95.2 per cent for the Moderna vaccine. It recommended that the test be performed at least 14 days after completing the vaccination cycle.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has suggested that the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV) vaccine that offers protection to children against flu may also help reduce the rate of group A strep infections. LAIV is a nasal spray offered each season to most children aged 2 and 3 years old, and to school-aged children, to help protect against flu. The new study looked back at data from 2013 to 2017, comparing rates of group A strep (GAS) infections in pilot areas and comparing them to other areas where the vaccine was not being offered as widely. It was found that incidence of GAS was lower in pilot areas where the LAIV vaccine was being offered to all primary school children, compared to areas where it was being incrementally rolled out. The study revealed, in 2 to 4 year olds, rates of GAS were 73.5 per 100,000 children in pilot areas, compared to 93 per 100,000 children in non-pilot areas. In 5 to 10 year olds, rates of GAS were 50.3 per 100,000 children in pilot areas, compared to 57.8 per 100,000 in non-pilot areas.

The government will on Thursday launch a drive to boost childhood vaccination rates, health authorities said, seeking an "urgent reversal" to a fall in uptake as the country faces a worsening measles outbreak. Routine childhood immunisations in Britain for diseases including measles, mumps and rubella, diphtheria and polio, have been falling gradually over the past decade, but dipped more sharply after the Covid-19 pandemic, mirroring a global decline. Last year UNICEF said people worldwide had lost confidence in the importance of routine childhood vaccines during the pandemic, with misinformation, dwindling trust in governments and political polarisation contributing to rising hesitancy. Britons will begin seeing adverts from next week across various media, including a television campaign featuring children reminding parents of the risk of missing out on vaccinations, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. "We need an urgent reversal of the decline in the uptake of childhood vaccinations to protect our communities," UKHSA chief executive Jenny Harries said in a statement.

Polio has been detected in sewage samples in London, the first sign since the 1980s that the virus could be spreading in the UK, but no cases have been found, authorities said. The risk of infection from the disease, which causes paralysis in children in under one per cent of cases, was also low because of high vaccination rates, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. The agency nevertheless encouraged parents to make sure their children were vaccinated after the discovery of the virus during routine wastewater surveillance - particularly those who may have missed shots during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nationwide vaccination levels are above the 90 per cent needed to prevent outbreaks, but London's coverage rates among the under-twos has dipped below that in recent years. NHS England will begin contacting parents of children under five who are not immunised. Polio, spread mainly through contamination by faecal matter, used to kill and paralyse thousands of children annually worldwide. There is no cure, but vaccination brought the world close to ending the wild, or naturally occurring, form of the disease.

A smattering of monkeypox cases in Britain has prompted authorities to offer a smallpox vaccine to some healthcare workers and others who may have been exposed, as a handful more cases were confirmed in parts of Europe. Monkeypox is a usually mild viral illness, characterised by symptoms of fever as well as a distinctive bumpy rash. There are two main strains: the Congo strain, which is more severe - with up to 10 per cent mortality - and the West African strain, which has a fatality rate of about one per cent First identified in monkeys, the viral disease typically spreads through close contact and largely occurs in west and central Africa. It has rarely spread elsewhere, so this fresh spate of cases outside the continent has triggered concern. In the United Kingdom, nine cases of the West African strain have been reported so far. There isn't a specific vaccine for monkeypox, but a smallpox vaccine does offer some protection, a UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) spokesperson said. Data shows that vaccines that were used to eradicate smallpox are up to 85 per cent effective against monkeypox, according to the World Health Organisation.

70 per cent of community pharmacies still waiting for government nod to start Covid booster jabdesc-Nearly 70 per cent of community pharmacies in England that offered to participate in the Covid-19 booster programme are still waiting for approval or have been refused, ministers admitted on Monday (December 13). The Liberal Democrats' health spokesperson, Daisy Cooper, exposed the low approval rate and long delays through a written parliamentary question to the health secretary as to "how many community pharmacies were providing Covid-19 vaccinations as of 3 December 2021."In response vaccines minister Maggie Throup said: "As of the end of September 2021, 4,733 contractors submitted 5,376 expressions of interest to take part in the booster vaccination programme, with 1,454 accepted."She added: "As of 3 December 2021, 1,336 community pharmacy vaccination sites were actively providing the service." Some applications were decided by NHS England rather than the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

A community pharmacist, Viral Doshi was honoured with the British Citizen Award (BCA) on Thursday (26 January) at the Palace of Westminster for transforming his community centre into vaccination hub during Covid-19 pandemic. Viral was presented with his Medal of Honour by Liam Sargeant, Senior Company Communications Manager, from supporters P&G and TV presenter and Patron of the BCA, Nick Knowles, who hosted the event. At the height of the pandemic, Viral obtained approval to transform his community centre into a vaccination hub. Located in the heart of a multi-ethnic population, with social deprivation, surrounded by wards experiencing high rates of Covid-19. His determination to increase uptake and reduce vaccination hesitancy, led to 80,000 vaccinations being administered, the overall highest vaccination uptake in North West London. Viral is a passionate advocate for the role that GP practices and community pharmacies can play in supporting the health agenda. His objective, to provide better choice and access for the community have been fully met and appreciated by patients. His initiatives led to a dramatic increase in the clinical skills, knowledge and services offered by local community pharmacies around a variety of health topics. This enabled pharmacies to adopt a holistic health approach to working with their communities.

New data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has revealed that London is potentially at risk of a measles resurgence. UKHSA modelling suggests that, unless MMR vaccination rates improve, London could see a measles outbreak with tens of thousands of cases. "Those who have never received a measles vaccine (MMR) are at risk," said UKHSA. MMR is part of the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme. Parents whose infants missed out, or anyone of any age unvaccinated, are urged to come forward. Susceptibility is particularly high among 19 to 25 year olds, affected by unfounded stories in the early 2000s ('Wakefield cohorts') and some may still not be fully vaccinated. As part of continued efforts to protect people against getting measles, the NHS is launching a campaign encouraging people to check their vaccination status, with targeted outreach to groups in London.

The drop in vaccination rates is believed to be driving a surge in measles cases in England, mainly in the West Midlands. As of 18 January, 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases have been reported in the region since 1 October 2023, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed. The majority of cases (around 80 per cent) were from Birmingham, with children aged under 10 years being infected the most. UKHSA Chief Executive, Professor Dame Jenny Harries has warned that the outbreak could spread further to other towns and cities if urgent action is not taken to increase Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination uptake in areas at greatest risk.

Recent uptake of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses in Europe has been "rather disappointing," an official said on Thursday (November 24), amid concerns that protection against severe cases of the disease could weaken during the winter. The European average rate of re-vaccination, or receiving booster doses, was only 29 per cent in the groups of people considered to be at highest risk, such as the elderly and immunocompromised. "It is of concern that those most at risk of hospitalisation or severe COVID are not adequately protected," the European Medicines Agency's head of health threats and vaccines strategy, Marco Cavaleri, told a news briefing. Though there have not been major increases in COVID-19 case rates in recent weeks, Cavaleri said that could change during the colder winter months.

The UK Health Security Agency's (UKHSA) Chief Executive, Professor Dame Jenny Harries has expressed concern that measles outbreak could spread to other towns and cities unless urgent action is taken to increase Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination uptake in areas at greatest risk. The virus can spread very easily among those who are unvaccinated, especially in nurseries and schools, she said on Friday (19 January) during a visit to irmingham to review the ongoing work to contain the spread of the disease. A rapid rise in cases has been seen in the West Midlands since 1 October 2023, with 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases recorded till 18 January. The majority of the cases (around 80 per cent) were reported from Birmingham, with about 10 per cent in Coventry, mostly affecting children aged under 10 years. Dame Jenny is calling on all local areas to increase MMR vaccine uptake rates in communities across the country.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned that there has been a continued increase in cases of whooping cough (pertussis) across England since the start of this year. According to new data published by the agency on Thursday (7 March), 553 new cases of whooping cough were confirmed in January alone, compared with 858 cases for the whole of last year (2023). The country is witnessing a surge in whooping cough cases after a prolonged period of low case numbers, attributed to restrictions and reduced social interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. England recorded the highest number of whooping cough cases in 2016, recording 5,949 cases. As the ongoing rise coincides with a steady decline in the vaccination rates among pregnant women and children, UKHSA has strongly encouraged mums-to-be to get the maternal pertussis vaccine so that their young baby is protected against this serious disease.

Health and social care workers in England, including those working in community pharmacy, will no longer have to have a Covid jab as a condition of employment from later this month, the government said on Tuesday (March 1). The government had announced on January 31 that it intended to revoke the regulations that made vaccination compulsory, subject to the results of a public consultation. The decision was taken because the Omicron strain of the virus was less severe than the Delta variant, and due to high rates of vaccination of people in the UK. Health secretary Sajid Javid told parliament in a written statement that more than 90,000 health and social care workers and members of the public responded to the consultation.

Prime minister Boris Johnson has said he is cautious about rising cases of Covid in Europe, warning of gathering "storm clouds" of a new wave of coronavirus infections. He made the statement during a visit today (November 12) to a vaccination centre at a community pharmacy in Sidcup, London while encouraging people to come forward for Covid-19 boosters. The UK has had much higher rates of Covid-19 than the rest of Western Europe since the summer when Johnson scrapped coronavirus restrictions in England. However, rates in Britain are now coming down just as they are rising sharply in countries such as Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. Parts of Eastern Europe have also seen a sharp rise in cases.

British health officials on Wednesday (September 28) warned that increased circulation of flu and a resurgence in Covid-19 could lead to a difficult winter that increases pressure on the already stretched NHS. Warnings over a possible "twindemic" of Covid-19 and flu have been issued each winter since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, but Covid restrictions that limited social contact have meant flu levels stayed low. However, the government ended coronavirus restrictions earlier this year, meaning that social contact rates have returned to near pre-pandemic norms while immunity to flu is relatively low. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that given the risk it was important those eligible took up vaccines against Covid and flu. "There are strong indications we could be facing the threat of widely circulating flu, lower levels of natural immunity due to less exposure over the last three winters and an increase in Covid-19 circulating," said Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at UKHSA.

England won't have any new Covid-19 restrictions before the end of 2021, health secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday (December 27) whilst the government awaits more evidence on whether the NHS can cope with high infection rates in the new year. "There will be no further measures before the new year," Javid told reporters, adding: "When we get into the new year, of course we will see then whether we do need to take any further measures." He said that the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus now accounted for around 90 per cent of cases across England and urged people to celebrate New Year cautiously. The government's attention is focused on the number of patients being hospitalised with Omicron after early data last week suggested the variant carried a lower risk of admission. The latest data showed the number of patients in hospital in England with Covid-19 was its highest since March, at 8,474, but a long way off peaks above 34,000 in January. A combination of factors, including Britain's vaccination programme, the lag between infections and hospitalisations and the potentially less harmful effects of the Omicron variant have all been put forward by health experts as possible explanations for lower numbers.

With 118 new cases confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the total number of measles cases reported in England since 1 October 2023 has gone up to 465. According to the latest data published by the agency, West Midlands continues to see a disproportionately high rate of infections, with a sharp rise in case numbers over the last six weeks, mainly driven by cases in Birmingham. In England, there were 17 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in October, 42 in November, 161 in December, 240 in January 2024. Five more cases were confirmed last week, according to the measles statistics updated by UKHSA on 8 February. More than 70 per cent (329 of 465) of total confirmed cases were reported from the West Midlands, 13 per cent (62 of 465) from London, seven per cent (32 of 465) in Yorkshire and The Humber, and the remaining cases from other regions of England.

The NHS Confederation has urged the government to reconsider its 'living with Covid' plan and introduce mitigating actions that will help avoid further critical incidents being declared at the NHS front-line. The organisation said the high rates of Covid is having a major impact on the delivery of health services and slowing down efforts to reduce large waiting lists, noting that the country has been in the grip of another spike in Covid cases resulting from the Omicron BA.2 variant. With more than 20,000 patients now in hospital with Covid (or who have Covid but are in hospital for other reasons) and high staff absences, NHS is facing huge operational challenges, harming efforts to reduce waiting times in other areas, it said.