Health Services

Health Protection

Needle Lab testHealth Protection is concerned with protecting the health of the population of Forth Valley.

 

Immunisation guidance-The Green Book

The Green Book has the latest information on vaccines and vaccination procedures for all vaccine preventable infectious diseases that may occur in the UK.

The Health Protection Team are often asked for advice regarding individuals who have not been vaccinated or whose vaccinations are incomplete. Advice can be found in, 'Uncertain and incomplete immunisation status' produced by NHS Forth Valley Health Protection Team:

Recommendations for the introduction of new vaccines from 2013

 Changes to the Scottish immunisation programme have been recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to improve the overall level of protection against  vaccine -preventable diseases. 

From 1 July 2013 vaccination against rotavirus will be introduced.

From 1 June 2013 there will be changes to the current schedule for Men C vaccination.

From 1 September 2013 there will be introduction of a shingles vaccine for people aged 70 years (routine cohort) and 79 years (catch-up cohort) to protect against herpes zoster.

A short catch-up campaign for measles immunisation in Scotland 2013 is planned. Letters from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Scotland describing the recommendations can be accessed using the following links.

Childhood immunisation rates

In Scotland the target for the national immunisation programme is for 95% of children to complete courses of the following childhood immunisations by 24 months of age:

 

 diphtheria  polio
 tetanus haemophilus influenza type b (hib)
 pertussis (whooping cough) meningococcal group C (Men C) 


An additional national target of 95% uptake of one dose of mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine by 5 years old (with a supplementary measure at 24 months) was introduced in 2006.

In Forth Valley excellent Childhood immunisation rates are achieved across all primary immunisations with the exception of MMR. Uptake for MMR1 is currently between 90% and 94%.

* Please note that NHS Forth Valley Public Health Directorate takes no responsibility for the accuracy or quality of external websites linked to from this page. If you have a query, please contact the Health Protection Team.

Tuberculosis in Forth Valley

BCG immunisation against tuberculosis (TB)  is now provided to people at risk of tuberculosis (TB) in Forth Valley by a Public Health consultant-led clinic set up in April 2013 in Forth Valley Royal Hospital. The clinic is supported by a newly appointed nurse who will be responsible for contact tracing of children of school age at risk of contracting TB. 

Health Protection Function

The Health Protection function is to monitor and protect the public from communicable disease and environmental health risks and to minimise the impact of such risks to the population.

This is achieved in partnership with the Local Authorities and our combined objectives are published in the Joint Health Protection Plan 2012 - 2014.  

Publication of an on-line Joint Health Protection Plan was a requirement of the new Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008.

Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008

The Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008 provides an up-date and consolidation of existing public health legislation .

This Act enables Scottish Ministers, Heath Boards and Local Authorities to better protect public health in Scotland. The Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 12 June 2008 and received Royal Assent on 16 July 2008.

The updated Act takes into account new information on emerging diseases and recognises the potential for a disease to spread rapidly across the world as air travel has increased during the past fifty years. The Act confers powers to designated 'competent' staff to exclude, restrict, quarantine and detain individuals if required. The list of notifiable diseases had been updated.

Notifiable diseases

The  Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008 lists the notifiable diseases and organisms. Chickenpox is no longer a notifiable disease.

 Health Protection Newsletter

  For your interest, the latest Health Protection Newsletter can be viewed via the following link:

The Health Protection Team

Contact 

Public Health Directorate
NHS Forth Valley Carseview House
Castle Business Park Stirling
FK9 4SW

Tel: 01786-463031
Fax: 01786-446327

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