Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 222: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to a new drug (details supplied) which helps prevent meningitis and septicaemia; if there are plans for this drug to be permitted here as a means of fighting meningococcal septicaemia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30757/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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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 an active committee from associated disciplines in paediatrics, infectious diseases, general practice and public health. A vaccine to prevent against meningococcal infections, including meningococcal septicaemia, caused by the Meningococcus C strain of the bacteria is already included in the primary immunisation schedule. The vaccine referred to by the Deputy is pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PVC) which protects against pneumococcal infections, which include pneumonia, septicaemia and bacterial meningitis. The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recently completed a review of our immunisation schedule and the Chief Medical Officer of my Department has received the updated guidelines. These new guidelines include the addition of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PVC) to the schedule. PVC vaccine provides a high level of protection to young children from pneumococcal infections. It is proposed to introduce the new schedule in 2008.