H1N1 Influenza Vaccine

Mr McGillivray made this Freedom of Information request to Scottish Government

The request was partially successful.

From: Mr McGillivray

19 August 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Under freedom of information please can you provide:

1. A complete list of the ingredients of the vaccine being
purchased by the Scottish Government for the H1N1 influenza

2. A complete list of any known side effects of any of the vaccine
ingredients

3. The suppliers of the H1N1 influenza vaccine to the Scottish
Government

4. Clarification of whether or not the Scottish Government has, in
any circumstances such as a national state of emergency, the legal
authority (under the Civil Contingencies (Scotland) Act 2004 or
other legislation) to order mandatory vaccination for all citizens
and if so what measures could be taken against individuals who
refuse the vaccine for themselves and/or their children. Please can
you also clarify whether the UK Government has the legal authority
to overide the Scottish Government in such circumstances, for
example by introducing mandatory vaccination in Scotland if the
Scottish Government declines to do so.

Yours faithfully,

Mr McGillivray

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Scottish Government

11 September 2009

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Chief Medical Officer and Public Health Directorate abcdefghijklmnopqrstu

Public Health Division

T: 0131-244 5662 F: 0131-244 2606

E: [email address]

Mr McGillivray

By email to: abcd
[1][FOI #17155 email]

___

Our ref: FoI/09/01058

11 September 2009

Dear Mr McGillivray

Thank you for your email request dated 19 August for information under the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 about the plans to vaccinate
against influenza A (H1N1). We have now completed our search for the
information you requested and I have been asked to provide a response to
the questions you have raised.

The information that you require on the complete list of the A (H1N1)
vaccine ingredients and any known side effects is not held by the Scottish
Government nor by the Department of Health in England.

The complete list of ingredients of the A (H1N1) vaccine will be available
once the product is licensed. It is the manufacturer's responsibility to
provide this information to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) as part
of licensing requirements.

The possible side effects of the vaccine will be listed in the Summary of
Product Characteristics (SPC) when the products are licensed. As the A
(H1N1) vaccines are not licensed yet, the SPC is not currently available.
The SPCs listing possible side effects of the similar `mock-up' vaccines'
upon which the A (H1N1) vaccine are based can be found on the EMEA
websites:

[2]http://www.emea.europa.eu/humandocs/PDFs...
[3]http://www.emea.europa.eu/humandocs/PDFs...

I can confirm that the contracts that the Department of Health have put in
place on behalf of the four UK countries are with Baxter and
GlaxoSmithKline.

The Scottish Government is aware that not every member of the public may
wish to be vaccinated against influenza A (H1N1). As with all other
vaccination programmes, the influenza A (H1N1) vaccination will be
entirely voluntary and no one will be required to receive the vaccine if
they do not want to.

As with all vaccination programmes the H1N1 vaccination programme will
operate on the basis of informed consent, which means individuals have the
right to know what the vaccine involves and the risks and benefits before
they consent to vaccination.

The Scottish Government is working with the other UK administrations to
ensure that a coherent, UK wide advertising campaign will be in place to
ensure the public are informed of the vaccination programme and also to
provide the necessary information to enable them to make an informed
personal choice about the vaccine.

If you are unhappy with this response to your request, you may ask us to
carry out an internal review, by writing to Dr Kevin Woods, Director
General - Health, Floor 1E.07 - St Andrews House, Regent Road, Edinburgh,
EH1 3DG. Your request should explain why you wish a review to be carried
out, and should be made within 40 working days of receipt of this letter,
and we will reply within 20 working days of receipt. If you are not
satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to make a
formal complaint to the Scottish Information Commissioner.

Yours sincerely

Syed Kerbalai

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References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #17155 email]
2. http://www.emea.europa.eu/humandocs/PDFs...
http://www.emea.europa.eu/humandocs/PDFs...
3. http://www.emea.europa.eu/humandocs/PDFs...
http://www.emea.europa.eu/humandocs/PDFs...

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