Concern voiced over delays in school vaccines in midlands

Fears have been raised that children could miss out on “4 in 1”, MMR and HPV vaccines in the midlands and north-east after the school immunisation programme was deferred for a second time due to pressures on the health system.

Under the HSE School Immunisation Programme children in junior infants, are offered two vaccines, the “4 in 1” booster to protect against diphtheria, polio, tetanus and whooping cough, and a second dose of the MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps and rubella.

In addition HSE offers first year students a vaccine against the HPV (Human Papillomavirus), to protect against almost all cases of cervical cancer.

Crucially, protection against cervical cancer comes in two doses of the vaccine, usually given at a six month interval.

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But concern has been expressed for this timescale given that the first dose would need to be administered by early December, if pupils are to achieve a second dose before the school year ends in June.

Laois Offaly TD Brian Stanley said he feared some families may not look for vaccines if children did not get them in schools.

Mr Stanley told The Irish Times families in difficulties with pressing issues like job loss, evictions or employment, or dysfunctional families, may not be best placed to follow up on vaccinations for their children. For these reasons, he said, the schools programme had always been considered an effective way of delivering community health programmes.

Mr Stanley said the situation had been reported to him by parents and schools across the HSE Community Care Area 8 who wanted to continue the immunisation programme but were concerned about the time available in the current academic year.

In response, the HSE’s regional office confirmed the school immunisation programme for Area 8 - covering the six counties of Offaly, Laois, Westmeath, Longford, Meath and Louth - had been deferred twice during 2020. But it said there was no suggestion that those who are targeted for school immunization in 2020/21 “would not have their necessary vaccinations fully completed by Summer 2021”.

The combined area recorded a population of 615,258 in the 2016 census.

A spokesman said the first deferral was between March and May 2020, during the first wave of Covid- 19, but the programme was resumed in June 2020.

During the summer, the spokesman said “a catch-up exercise ensured that everyone who was to offered school immunization for school year 2019/20 had been offered their relevant vaccination”.

In late August, the HSE Area 8 decided it was again necessary to defer the school immunisation programme to allow staff to be redeployed to support work to combat Covid-19 “and other competing demands”.

In particular, the spokesman said there was “the exponential increase” in Covid - 19 testing in Area 8, from 8,454 tests in August to 37,435 in October.

The spokesman said a recovery plan had been prepared for school immunisation in 2020/21 and “assuming continued reduced demand for testing, continued recruitment of new community swabbers and reduced other pressures” the School Immunisation Programme will resume in the coming weeks”.

A spokeswoman for the HSE’s national office said the school vaccination programmes across the State had not been suspended. But she added that it “may need to be done in a different venue or may be delayed because of Covid-19. The HSE will try to keep these changes to a minimum”.