Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report 2014-15

Communicable Diseases:

Vaccination

Since the beginning of 2014, immunisation programme developments include:

• Offering seasonal flu vaccine to all children from age two years to the end of primary school;
• Introducing vaccination against Meningococcal B disease for infants;
• Expanding protection against meningococcal disease for adolescents with introduction of ACWY vaccine for those aged 14-18 years and new university entrants;
• Continuing with the phased catch-up programme for herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine for those aged 70-79 years.

Healthcare associated infections continue to represent a threat to safe care.

Types of HAI outbreaks and incidents (n=69) reported to HPS, January 2014 to September 2015.

Norovirus outbreaks continue to be the most common cause of ward closures within NHS Boards.

Antimicrobial resistance. There is growing concern about antimicrobial resistance. Multidrug resistance among Gram-negative organisms continues to be a major threat to public health and patient safety. Established in 2015, the Control of Antimicrobial Resistance in Scotland team in HPS is leading Scotland's strategic response to control of antimicrobial resistance.

Blood-borne viruses. In the first quarter of 2015, over 400 individuals commenced treatment for chronic Hepatitis C virus infection, almost three-quarters of whom were being treated with a sofosbuvir-containing regimen.

5,000 people are estimated to be diagnosed and living with HIV in Scotland. An estimated further 1,600, however, remain undiagnosed. The first licensed HIV self-testing kits, based on a finger prick blood sample, went on sale at the end of April 2015.

Travel and surveillance of imported infections. In 2014 the Travel and International Health team (TIHT) of HPS continued to carry out surveillance of travel-related infectious disease imported in Scotland, surveillance of outbreaks and incidents abroad, in particular by supporting the risk assessment for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and also playing a central role the Scottish public health response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.