John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This issue first came to light last Thursday morning when Dr. Suzanne Cotter, a public health medicine specialist with the HSE, was interviewed on "Morning Ireland". She stated that 11 cases of meningococcal disease had been notified in the previous two weeks, which was higher than normal and that three deaths had occurred. I was contacted subsequently by a constituent who was concerned about the MenB vaccine which has been available to newborn infants since 1 October 2016 but not to children born before that date. Following a week of news items and debate on various television programmes, the HSE and the Minister for Health are now saying that they do not want to extend the MenB vaccine by way of a catch-up programme. If the vaccine was deemed suitable for children born after 1 October 2016, why is it not suitable for children born prior to that date? What evidence is there to show that MenB can only be effective in newborns? My research tells me that there is no evidence to that effect. It can be as effective in a young child as in a young infant. What would the one-off capital cost of a catch-up programme be? If such a programme were to save even one life, it would be worth it. A catch-up vaccine costs €300 which is prohibitive for most families. I ask that the Minister for Health and representatives of the HSE appear before the health committee to provide clear answers on this matter. This is a real public health concern which must be addressed.

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