Our ref: DE00000425590

 

9 July 2009

 

Dear Ms Jones

Thank you for your email of 26 June asking, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA):

How many cases of bird flu were reported in the UK between 1st of January 09 and 1st June 09?
Of  these cases how many people died? 
How many people have been vaccinated by the NHS for bird flu during this time? 
How much money has been spent by the Health Services and Health Authorities on public information/prevention about/of bird flu?

I can confirm that:

There have been no human or avian cases of bird flu reported in the UK between 1st January 2009 and 1st June 2009.

There have been no human deaths from bird flu in the UK.

The NHS has not vaccinated anyone against bird flu.

However, the Department of Health (DH) offers free seasonal influenza immunisation to all those who work in close contact with poultry.  This is carried out as a precautionary public health measure to reduce the risk of poultry workers contracting both avian and human influenza simultaneously.  This would reduce the theoretical risk for circulating human influenza virus to re-assort with avian influenza virus, thereby producing a new influenza virus.  Such a new influenza virus could have pandemic potential.  Information materials for the poultry workers vaccination program can be viewed at www.immunisation.nhs.uk.

Details of communications costs to support the immunisation of poultry workers against seasonal influenza are set out below.  The programme started in the winter of 2006/07.  A printed information pack was produced in January 2007 containing leaflets, consent forms and letters to support the programme.  This information was also posted on the DH website.  In 2007/08 and 2008/09 the communications activity was limited to updating the material on the website.  The costs associated with this were minimal.

All the identified costs therefore relate to the central production of the information pack by DH in January 2007.  These costs totalled £10,303 (design £1990, printing £6740, translation £1154 and distribution £419).  PCTs may also have incurred some communications costs locally.  These are likely to have been very low, and we do not hold this information ourselves.

Information on how much money has been spent by the Health Services and Health Authorities on public information about, or prevention of, bird flu is not held in the form you have requested.  However, there is material available nationally on the Department of Health’s website, www.dh.gov.uk , and other websites, for example at the Health Protection Agency website, www.hpa.org.uk.

I hope that this information is helpful.  If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to:

Section Head
Freedom of Information Unit
Department of Health
Room 334B
Skipton House
80 London Road
SE1 6LH
Email:  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxx.xxx.xx
     
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Department.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Please contact me if you have any queries about this letter.

Yours sincerely,

Colin McDonald
FOI Casework Advisor
Department of Health Central Briefing Hub