Written answers

Wednesday, 8 May 2019

Department of Health

Vaccination Programme

Photo of Brian StanleyBrian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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631. To ask the Minister for Health if the meningitis B vaccine will be extended to children over six years of age who have a disability and hold a medical card. [18494/19]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) is an independent committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland which is comprised of experts from several specialties, including infectious diseases, paediatrics, and public health, which makes recommendations to my Department on vaccination policy in Ireland. Its recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. NIAC continues to revise recommendations to allow for the introduction of new vaccines in Ireland and to keep abreast of changes in the patterns of disease.

On foot of a recommendation by NIAC, the Primary Childhood Immunisation Schedule was amended in 2016 to include the introduction of the Meningitis B vaccine for all babies born on or after 1 October 2016. This change to the immunisation schedule took effect from 1 December 2016. The first dose of the vaccine is administered to children when they reach two months of age; a second dose is administered at four months and a third and final dose at twelve months. As Meningitis B disease is most common in babies under the age of 1 year old the scheduling of the administration of the vaccine under the immunisation programme takes account of this.

All vaccines administered through the Primary Childhood Immunisation Schedule are provided free of charge. Ireland is the second country in Europe to make the Men B vaccine available free of charge as part of its national immunisation programme.

There are no plans to introduce a catch-up programme for the Men B vaccine to older children as NIAC has never recommended a catch up programme for children born before 1 October 2016. However, parents may choose to have their older children vaccinated if they wish. The purchase of the vaccine is not covered by the medical card scheme but those who have a medical card are eligible to have the vaccine administered free of charge by their GP.

In Ireland, Men B, Men C, PCV and Hib vaccines are offered to children as part of the Primary Childhood Immunisation Schedule to protect them against meningitis. Adolescents in the first year of secondary school are also given a Men C booster vaccine against meningitis as part of the School Immunisation Programme.

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