The rapid production of safe, effective and consistent vaccines is essential for supporting COVID-19 immunisation programmes in the UK and globally. However, manufacturing vaccines is challenging for various reasons that include the complex processes involved, the specialist knowledge and experience required, and the natural variability of the biological materials and systems used. Urgent demand is leading to manufacturers and governments taking on significant financial risks in order to speed up production. What is the UK Government doing to accelerate vaccine manufacture? How are vaccines made? Why is manufacturing vaccines at large scales so challenging?
Documents to download
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Sudden infant death syndrome - recent developments (160 KB, PDF)
Media coverage has focused recently on the question of cot deaths or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and how it is caused. It has been suggested that a cause of death may be connected with the infection of cot materials by fungi and/or bacteria which are naturally present in the environment.
In view of the amount of interest that this and related issues may generate among MPs’ constituents, this Briefing Note addresses the problem of SIDS and summarises the new findings and their implications.
Documents to download
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Sudden infant death syndrome - recent developments (160 KB, PDF)
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The digital divide is the gap between people in society who have full access to digital technologies (such as the internet and computers) and those who do not. Concerns about the digital divide have been particularly acute during the COVID-19 pandemic as the internet and digital devices have played an important role in allowing people to access services, attend medical appointments and stay in touch with friends and family. What impact has the digital divide had on children and adults in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic and what has been done to tackle it?
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As mass immunisation against COVID-19 begins in the UK and elsewhere, the safety of the recently approved Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is being closely monitored. How is vaccine safety measured and what happens when side effects are found?
