• HPA response to flooding
  
• HPV vaccine
  
• New Enhanced Surveillance Test (Oral Fluid Antibody) For Pertussis: Clarification of Services Offered

HPA response to flooding

HPA staff across the country have been taking part in the response efforts to the recent flooding in several regions of England particularly in Yorkshire and the Humber, East, and West Midlands. Working with the HPA Centres, they have produced advice on the possible health protection risks that might be associated with flooding. This advice addresses the likely infectious and chemical hazards that might arise in flood conditions as well as the implications for people returning to their homes after flooding <http://www.hpa.org.uk/flooding/default.htm>.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, three people died and thousands were either evacuated from their homes or left without power. There were major disruptions to all transport networks and hospitals have been treating emergency cases only. A stretch of the M1 motorway was closed following Concerns that the Ulley reservoir dam between Sheffield and Rotherham could be breached.

HPA staff have been working with Silver and Gold multi-agency command in their areas, providing specialist health advice and contributing to multi-agency information leaflets for the public and press statements, and frontline NHS and emergency services staff. A Scientific and Technical Advice Cell was convened in South Yorkshire involving the HPU, PCT, Environment Agency, and Yorkshire Water to risk assess contamination of drinking water supplies, concluding the risks were very low and measures were in place to deal with any localised contamination.

In the West Midlands, the worst affected areas have been Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire.

In the Lichfield area of Staffordshire a number of properties were affected when the river Tame broke its banks and a rest room was set up in the Town Hall. In Shropshire, people were evacuated from their homes after the River Corve collapsed a 12 metre section of a main road into Ludlow and disrupted gas mains, telephone and electrical lines, and water supply.

In Worcestershire one person died due to the floods. Many drains are still blocked and many roads in the area are still closed and are likely to remain so for a while yet. Two rest centres were set up in Worcestershire, although most people were either back in their own homes or in bed and breakfast accommodation by Thursday evening.

In East Midlands the rivers Rother and Hipper, in Derbyshire, burst their banks on Monday and flooded several areas around Chesterfield and people had to be evacuated. There has also been flooding in Worksop and pockets of flooding in Lincolnshire.

Many areas remain on high alert and there is particular concern about the weather this weekend and the impact of further rain.

 

HPV vaccine

The Department of Health has agreed, in principle, to accept advice from the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that Human Papilloma Viruse (HPV) vaccines should be introduced routinely for girls aged around 12-13 years, subject to independent peer review of the cost benefit analysis. Funding for this will be considered in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

HPVs cause 99 per cent of invasive cervical cancer. The vaccine protects against the viruses responsible for about 70% of cases. Routine vaccination of girls could start in autumn 2008. Details of the programme will be finalised over the next few months, following further advice from JCVI and discussions with the NHS on the implementation of the programme.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer of women worldwide. In the UK, the lifetime risk of developing cervical cancer is one in 116. In England, 2221 new cases of invasive cervical cancer were diagnosed in 2004. In addition, around 200,000 women in England are identified through the cervical screening programme (smear tests) as having a pre-cancerous change.

The cervical screening programme (smear tests) would continue after an HPV vaccine has been introduced. This is because of the gap between the age of vaccination and age of first screening. Also, screening will be required as the vaccine does not protect against all HPV types that may cause cervical cancer.

References
HPV vaccine. Press release GNN ref 148406P. London: Department of Health, 2007. Available at
<http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=293322&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFrom Department=False>.