asked the Minister for Health if in view of the grave warning recently given about the serious possibility that there may be a severe anterior poliomyelitis epidemic later in the year he will institute a nationwide newspaper and radio campaign to emphasise to parents the desirability of making use of the vaccination scheme provided by health authorities; and if he will arrange to make the scheme available free of direct charge to every economic section of society.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Anterior Poliomyelitis: Vaccination Scheme.
3.
I have recently recommended to health authorities that local publicity and propaganda should be intensified in order to make the poliomyelitis vaccination service more widely known and to direct public attention to the value of vaccination as a protection against the disease. I intend to keep the situation under review and to make such public announcements and take such other action from time to time as may seem appropriate.
The present vaccination scheme covers from 85% to 90% of all those between the ages of 6 months and 25 years and of expectant mothers. It is free to those regarded, on the basis of a liberal approach, as being in the lower income group. The charge for those outside that group has been reduced this year — it is now only 7/6d. for the full course for individual participants and the maximum charge for a family is only £1. These charges should be within the competence of all concerned. I do not feel that the public response would be significantly greater than under the present scheme if a completely free-for-all scheme were introduced.