Denis Naughten
Question:103 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason for the delay in revaccinating children who received the out of date oral polio vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3296/03]
Written Answers. - Vaccination Programme.
The operation of the primary childhood immunisation programme is a matter in the first instance for the individual health boards which enter into contracts with general practitioners for the delivery of the service. Information received from health boards indicate that they have experienced difficulties in establishing the current position in relation to the number of children revaccinated, following the administration of oral polio vaccine, OPV, after the expiry date, as not all GPs have provided the required information.
My Department has written to the health board chief executive officers in relation to this matter on numerous occasions since this issue arose and has requested that any discrepancy between the number of children in their health board area where records indicate they received OPV more than one month after the expiry date and the number of children who were subsequently revaccinated be comprehensively explained.
As indicated in my letter of 22 January 2003 to the Deputy, health boards have indicated that the apparently high number of children yet to be revaccinated may not in fact be as high as current records show for the following reasons: GPs may have revaccinated children but have not advised the health boards; GPs may on rechecking their records have established that vaccine was not in fact administered after the expiry date but may have failed to advise the relevant health board; parents may have decided not to have their children revaccinated; some children may have moved from the region; GPs may have decided against revaccination; and GPs may not have advised parents that vaccine was given more than one month after the expiry date and that revaccination is recommended.
The health boards have assured my Department that they have contacted all relevant GPs and advised them of the recommendation to revaccinate. However, they have advised that in all instances the clinical responsibility for these patients rests with the GPs in question.