Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many incidents of (a) mumps, (b) measles, (c) rubella, (d) diphtheria, (e) tetanus, (f) pertussis, (g) hib disease there were in (i) England, (ii) London, (iii) primary care trusts in London and (iv) London boroughs in each of the last five years.

National and regional data on the number of cases of measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) in England are published by Public Health England based on the number of laboratory confirmed cases. For tetanus, cases are based on clinical diagnosis only, although laboratory tests can support the diagnosis.

There are no published figures for laboratory confirmed cases by primary care trusts or London boroughs, because of the risk of deductive disclosure and because laboratories do not always report the area of residence of the case.

¹All except cases of tetanus which are based on clinical diagnosis only.

² None of the cases presented with ‘classical’ respiratory diphtheria. In England there were six cases of cutaneous diphtheria and three cases of mild respiratory diphtheria; in London there were three cases of cutaneous diphtheria and one case of mild respiratory diphtheria.

³ one of the three cases was not confirmed by laboratory testing.