The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's 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. Therefore, the immunisation schedule will continue to be amended over time.
The ages at which vaccines are recommended in the primary childhood immunisation schedule are chosen by NIAC in order to give each child the best possible protection against disease.
Measles vaccine in Ireland is given as part of the combined Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of MMR vaccine are included in the childhood immunisation schedule in Ireland:
• Dose 1, given at 12 month of age in general practice;
• Dose 2, given at 4-5 years of age in junior infants in Primary Schools, by HSE school immunisation teams.
The HSE launched an MMR catch-up programme in November 2023 which is being offered through GPs. Those eligible for MMR vaccination under the programme are children aged between 14 months and 10 years old inclusive who did not receive the MMR vaccine when they were 12 months old, and/or age 4-5 years old in junior infants.
In some specific situations, e.g. if a child has been exposed to a case of measles, or is travelling to an area where there is an active outbreak of measles, NIAC advise that MMR vaccination may be recommended for babies between 6-11 months of age. However, maternal antibodies may compromise the response to the vaccine. Therefore, infants vaccinated before their first birthday should have a repeat vaccination at 12 months of age, at least four weeks after the first vaccine, with a further dose at 4-5 years of age
It is important that in Ireland, the recommendations of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee are followed, and not the recommendations for other countries where the epidemiology of disease and other factors may be different to that of Ireland.
