Sally Harcourt

Uptake of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in at-risk populations in England and Wales 1999-2005

The UK has had a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination (PPV) programme for groups at higher risk of invasive disease since 1992. This paper presents data from a sample of primary-care practices (Q-RESEARCH) of PPV uptake in patients according to their risk status. Of 2.9 million registered patients in 2005, 2.1% were vaccinated with PPV in the preceding 12 months and 6.5% in the preceding 5 years. Twenty-nine per cent of the registered population fell into one or more risk groups. The proportion of each risk group vaccinated in the previous 5 years ranged from 69% (cochlear implants), 53.4% (splenic dysfunction), 36.5% (chronic heart disease), 34.7% (diabetes), 22.9% (immunosuppressed), 28.7% (chronic renal disease), 15.9% (sickle cell disease) to 12.6% (chronic respiratory disease). Uptake was lower in areas where the non-white proportion of population was >10%. In conclusion, there remain large gaps in the uptake of PPV in several high-risk populations in the United Kingdom. Effective strategies need to be developed to address these deficiencies.

Developing a new syndromic surveillance system for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Syndromic surveillance is vital for monitoring public health during mass gatherings. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games represents a major challenge to health protection services and community surveillance. In response to this challenge the Health Protection Agency has developed a new syndromic surveillance system that monitors daily general practitioner out-of-hours and unscheduled care attendances. This new national system will fill a gap identified in the existing general practice-based syndromic surveillance systems by providing surveillance capability of general practice activity during evenings/nights, over weekends and public holidays. The system will complement and supplement the existing tele-health phone line, general practitioner and emergency department syndromic surveillance systems. This new national system will contribute to improving public health reassurance, especially to meet the challenges of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Burden of Seasonal Respiratory Pathogens on a New National Telehealth System

Syndromic surveillance telehealth calls were shown to provide early warning of seasonal rises in RSV and influenza compared to traditional laboratory reporting.