Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I will respond to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. This provides me with an opportunity to outline to this House the importance attached by the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive to the issues raised.

Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way of protecting children against certain diseases. The primary childhood immunisation programme is administered on a countrywide basis and is offered to all children in all HSE areas. It is administered by general practitioners. It is a voluntary programme and therefore it is essential that we encourage all parents to have their children immunised against the diseases covered by the childhood immunisation programme in order to ensure that both their children and the population generally have maximum protection against the diseases concerned.

I understand from the HSE that owing to regulatory difficulties being experienced by the manufacturer of the BCG vaccine, there may be a shortage of the vaccine throughout the country during the coming weeks. This is a Europe-wide problem as the manufacturer in question is the only company which supplies the vaccine to the European market. The HSE is in regular contact with the supplier, and is doing all it can do to ensure delivery of the vaccine at the earliest possible juncture. Unfortunately, it is not possible to stockpile the vaccine in advance because it has a very short shelf life. It is anticipated that the HSE will receive fresh stocks of the vaccine in early January.

The objective of the primary childhood immunisation programme is to achieve an uptake level of 95%, which is the rate required to provide population immunity and to protect children and the population generally from the potentially serious diseases concerned. Ireland's recommended immunisation programme is based on the guidelines of the national immunisation advisory committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. These guidelines are prepared with the assistance of a committee from associated disciplines in paediatrics, infectious diseases, general practice and public health. The recommended childhood immunisation schedule in this country contains immunisation against ten infectious diseases. These include tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, haemophilus influenzae B, meningococcal C disease, measles, mumps and rubella. The national immunisation advisory committee has recently completed a review of our immunisation schedule and among the changes recommended are the addition of hepatitis B and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines to the programme. It is proposed to introduce the new schedule in 2008.

Immunisation against infectious disease has saved more lives than any other public health intervention, apart from providing clean water. In order to eliminate these infectious diseases entirely, uptake of immunisation of 95% or greater is required. When immunisation uptake rates are below 95%, outbreaks of infectious disease will continue to occur and some children will suffer complications or die as a result. Unfortunately, immunisation uptake in this country has never achieved the target of 95%. The HSE informs me that an expert advisory group is examining a policy document on diabetes and this includes issues of childhood diabetes and equality of access.