ALL newborns will be given a hepatitis B jab
All babies are to be vaccinated against a deadly cancer-causing virus which experts fear is becoming increasingly common due to immigration.
They will be inoculated against hepatitis B, which can trigger liver cancer, in a new jab that will also protect against five other diseases.
Every baby born from August 1 will receive doses of the âHexaâ jab at four, eight and 16 weeks.
All babies are to be vaccinated against a deadly cancer-causing virus which experts fear is becoming increasingly common due to immigration
Historically, infection rates of the blood-borne virus have been so low in Britain that it has not been a major issue. But there is now serious concern that the number of cases is rising, due largely to immigration from developing countries.
In some sub-Saharan African countries, one in seven is a carrier. East Asia and parts of Eastern Europe are also hotspots.
Public Health England (PHE) said the decision to inoculate all babies, rather than just those deemed at high risk, was taken because a âcost-effective combination vaccineâ was now available. The jab also protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).
Evidence sug gests high rates of immigration are behind rising cases of chronic infection, where the virus lies largely dormant â" but incurable â" in the body.
In some sub-Saharan African countries, one in seven is a carrier. East Asia and parts of Eastern Europe are also hotspotsÂ
In 2012, PHE reported that 19 out of every 20 antenatal women testing positive for hepatitis B in London were born abroad. Of those, nearly half were born in Africa.
It concluded: âLong-term infections in migrants are estimated to account for around 96 per cent of all new long-term hepatitis B infections in the UK.â
More than 500,000 people moved to Britain last year, half of whom came from outside the EU. A quarter of mothers giving birth on the NHS are now foreign-born.
Fresh data from PHE indicates that the number of pregnant women infected with the virus is increasing fast. A previous version of its âgreen bookâ for doctors, from 2013, stated that about one in 700 was hep B- positi ve.
But a new version, published three days ago, shows the national figure is now one in 250. Rates are higher than one in 100 in some inner- city areas. None of these facts is cited in PHEâs rationale for vaccinating all babies.
Paul Desmond, of the Hep B Positive Trust, claimed political correctness had allowed an âunseen epidemicâ to develop. He said: âWeâve invited the world â" and forgotten its medicine.â
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