Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department and the UK Health Security Agency are taking to help ensure that people at risk of exposure to monkeypox but not currently eligible for vaccination will be protected against the virus once the current vaccine rollout has concluded.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) current vaccination strategy is to target monkeypox vaccination for three groups: a) healthcare workers who are caring for and who are due to start caring for a patient with confirmed monkeypox, b) gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) at higher risk of exposure and c) people who have already had close contact with a patient with confirmed monkeypox.
UKHSA expert advice, endorsed by Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), is to offer two vaccine doses to the eligible cohort across the United Kingdom. UKHSA will continue to review the ongoing outbreak and issue updated advice on how to protect those at risk from monkeypox as required.
UKHSA has worked closely with stakeholder groups, including the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV and other charities to raise awareness through targeted communication channels amongst the GBMSM population of the epidemiology, risks and actions to protect themselves and others, alongside encouraging those within the eligible cohort to get vaccinated.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many doses of monkeypox vaccine have been delivered to NHS patients (a) in the last 12 months and (b) since May 2022.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
As of 30 August 2022, a total of 38,079 administered doses of vaccine have been recorded in England, of which 33,918 doses have been administered as pre-exposure vaccination, primarily to gay and bisexual people and other men who have sex with men. A further 1,992 doses have been provided to healthcare workers managing monkeypox cases and 2,169 doses have been given to close contacts of cases.
No smallpox vaccines were issued for the purposes of monkeypox response between September 2021 and May 2022.
Asked by: Baroness Merron (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take in response to 71 per cent of monkeypox cases being concentrated in London.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is working with the National Health Service and sexual health, voluntary and community sector organisations in London to share accurate information on the outbreak with those at increased risk and prevent onward transmission of the virus. The UKHSA is raising awareness and advising the public on symptoms and how to access the appropriate treatment options.
Vaccines are being offered to gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men considered to be at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox. Vaccines are also offered to those most likely to be exposed to monkeypox, including healthcare workers and close contacts of those infected. The UKHSA has provided approximately 8,000 doses of the Imvanex vaccine to sites in London and continues to conduct outreach work.
Asked by: Baroness Merron (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to respond to the monkeypox outbreak.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is working with the National Health Service and the public health agencies in the four nations to prevent onward transmission of monkeypox virus. The UKHSA is raising awareness of the outbreak with the public, including advice on symptoms and how to access the appropriate treatment options.
The UKHSA recommends that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox should be offered a dose of a smallpox vaccine, such as Imvanex. Vaccines are also offered to those most likely to be exposed to monkeypox including healthcare workers and close contacts of those infected.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure everyone at risk of exposure to Monkeypox is able to access a vaccine.
Answered by Maggie Throup
On 21 June 2022 the UK Health Security Agency published a targeted vaccine strategy which recommends that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox should be offered a smallpox vaccine. Vaccines are also offered to those most likely to be exposed to monkeypox, including healthcare workers and close contacts of infected persons. The local National Health Service will contact members of the public at risk of exposure to offer a vaccination in due course.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on (a) its strategy for Monkeypox vaccination and (b) ensuring that people in high risk groups can access a Monkeypox vaccination quickly.
Answered by Maggie Throup
On 21 June 2022, the UK Health Security Agency published a targeted vaccine strategy which recommends that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox should be offered a smallpox vaccine, Imvanex, to control the outbreak. NHS England will offer the vaccine to those most likely to be exposed to monkeypox, including healthcare workers and close contacts of confirmed infections. The local National Health Service will contact members of the public risk of exposure to offer a vaccination in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people who have received the smallpox vaccine since May 2022 will have been given two doses within 28 days.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Any individual, typically healthcare workers, at on-going risk of exposure to the monkeypox virus will be offered two doses of smallpox vaccine with a minimum interval of 28 days between doses. However, a second dose within 28 days is not recommended. The vaccine programme for high-risk gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men will also offer two doses, although the offer of a first dose to as many individuals as possible will be prioritised. Data on smallpox vaccinations administered since May 2022 is continuing and will be available in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking in the response to monkeypox outbreak; and how the response compares to the steps taken in the ministerial response to covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is working with the National Health Service and the public health agencies of each nation to prevent the onward transmission of monkeypox virus. The UKHSA has published guidance to raise awareness, advise the public on symptoms and how to access the appropriate treatment options.
On 21 June, the UKHSA published a targeted vaccine strategy which recommends that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox should be offered the smallpox vaccine, Imvanex. Vaccination is also offered to those most likely to be exposed to monkeypox, including healthcare workers and people in close contact with an individual who has monkeypox. Public health incidents, such as COVID-19 and monkeypox, differ and therefore require a bespoke approach. The UKHSA has ensured that the response to the monkeypox virus is effective and proportionate to the scale of the outbreak.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the efficacy of the invitation issued by the NHS Cervical Screening Programme which is addressed to women, people with a cervix and trans men if they have a cervix; and what steps they will take to ensure that the provision of cervical screening services is not degraded by a lack of clarity concerning eligibility for them.
Answered by Lord Kamall
We are aware that cancer screening coverage is lower in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Such inequalities are due partially to individuals being unsure which National Health Service screening programmes they are eligible for or how to access screening if they are not automatically invited. We have therefore worked with Cancer Research UK and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust to amend the language used in cervical screening to include ‘women and anyone with a cervix’. The same terminology has also been applied to the NHS cervical screening leaflet.
We have also provided a leaflet for transgender and non-binary individuals, which explains which patient groups the NHS invites for screening and how eligible people can access screening if they are not automatically invited.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vaccines are available for pre-exposure to monkeypox as of 12 July 2022; and whether his Department has plans to procure more of those vaccines.
Answered by Maggie Throup
As of 12 July 2022, the UK Health Security Agency has purchased approximately 30,000 doses of the smallpox vaccine Imvanex. Vaccines are being offered to gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men considered to be at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox. Several thousand doses have been distributed for use, while remaining doses are retained centrally.
We are monitoring demand and remain in discussions with the manufacturer to procure further doses as required.