Agenda item

The Director of Public Health will provide the Commission with a verbal update.

The Director of Public Health gave a verbal update of the latest position of health protection, and it was noted that:

·       There had been high levels of norovirus across the country which had meant some extra precautions had been taken, particularly in care homes to isolate residents coming out of hospital. The numbers have now reduced.

·       There had been a scabies outbreak in a care home, but there were no further cases.

·       Uptake of the flu vaccination had been particularly poor in schools. Work was ongoing to promote update and procurement was in process for a new contract.

·       The uptake of covid vaccinations was lower than the previous year.

·       Leicester was still the local authority with the highest rates of TB. Regular cases were still being reported but these had remained evenly spread throughout the year.

·       Work  on TB rates was ongoing, including a dedicated steering group, a strategy and a detailed action plan to address the rates.

·       A business case had been put to the Integrated Care Board for the University Hospitals Leicester TB service.

·       There was still stigma attached to TB, particularly in certain communities so work was needed to address this barrier.

·       The cases of whooping cough had reduced consistently in Leicester. The County Council were leading the response as they  had experienced higher rates of whooping cough.

·       Last year saw a high peak in cases of measles. This had been addressed through exemplary partnership working. The success had not made them complacent however as measles is hugely contagious. 

·       There was reduced concern around covid, but there was concern around covid vaccination rates as they are much lower in Leicester City than in the county.

·       The low vaccination rates were likely due to the public being fatigued by vaccination messages.

·       H5N1 Bird Flu pandemic exercise was planned for April 2025. There had been no human-to-human transmissions to date but the Local Resilience Forum had planned the exercise to ensure they were prepared for the worst case.

·       There had been 1 new case of M-Pox, but none had been in the City. Despite this, work was ongoing with sexual health providers to ensure awareness.

·       A key priority of the Health and Wellbeing Board was childhood vaccinations. The HPV vaccine was key in this as uptake had been so low in the city. More work was needed in communities to encourage uptake.

In response to questions and comments from Members, it was noted that:

·       The uptake rates for HPV vaccinations were around 50% for girls and considerably less for boys.

·       The Deputy City Mayor commented that there had been increased discussion around vaccines since Covid with more people becoming less inclined to have them. Since this, Public Health campaigns had been a bigger challenge.

·       The evidence for the HPV vaccines effectiveness was incredibly strong.

·       Work was needed to understand what would make a difference for school age vaccinations, including the unpicking of myths which are a huge threat to herd immunity and are often hard to combat.

·       Teachers and teaching assistants were often not confident enough to dispel the myths around vaccinations.

·       The majority of vaccines had been delivered through school provision; therefore, this was where the trust building and myth debunking needed to occur.

·       Health champions were needed across all communities to discuss why vaccines are so important.

·       The online vaccine forms were nationally put together. These were being reworked for the City to make them more accessible.

·       The highest uptake within schools was when schools worked with pupils to fill in the majority of the form themselves and then got a signature from parents and guardians.

·       It was important to work with families, as well as considering the age that young people can consent themselves.

·       The HPV vaccine eliminates cancer but information around it needs to be changed.

·       Emails to parents with more information was likely to encourage uptake.

·       The resurgence of children’s illnesses such as Slapped Cheek and Hand, Foot and Mouth was not anything of concern as they are seasonal illness that come in patterns.

AGREED:

It was agreed that slides from the presentation were to be shared, and the update was noted.