The privately owned UK-based company that held clinics in Waterford at the weekend providing individual vaccines for measles are to return to the city in March, June and September 2003 after claiming the response to their first Irish clinic was "tremendous".
The presence of Direct Health 2000 attracted criticism late last week from the South Eastern Health Board's public health specialist, Dr Neville De Souza, who warned that the single vaccinations - the measles jabs are to be followed by doses aimed at preventing mumps and rubella - are unlicensed.
"The single component vaccines are not licensed in this country, so they are not monitored by the Irish Medicines Board and their safety, quality and effectiveness cannot be assured."
Dr De Souza said a child could remain susceptible to the illnesses involved without the full vaccination. "The single component vaccine puts the children and their families at unnecessary risk because the delay in getting three separate vaccines could be six months to a year and the children could get the diseases involved while they are waiting. A child also has to be brought for three separate injections so the likelihood of completing the course is reduced."
Dr De Souza also claimed the combined MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is safe. However, adverse coverage on local and national radio did not prevent the parents of some 60 children bringing their offspring to the Woodlands Hotel Waterford yesterday and on Saturday. A number of first-floor bedrooms at the hotel were transformed into a waiting room and clinics for the company, which normally operates from premises in Liverpool and London.
Ms Sarah Dean, chief executive of Direct Health 2000, was yesterday quick to deny any suggestions that the company was seeking to profit from the fears of parents over the safety of the MMR vaccine, which has been associated with autism and irritable bowel disease.
"If we were here to rip parents off, fees would be much higher. We are aware of doctors elsewhere in Ireland providing individual vaccines and they charge considerably more than our €375 fee for the three vaccines, which are administered 12 weeks apart.
"After the media maelstrom last week, we anticipated that the Irish Medicines Board or the South Eastern Health Board might have visited our clinics but, as of now [3 p.m. Sunday], they have not done so. Unfortunately, Irish health officials seem unable to grasp the concept of freedom of choice."
Ms Dean, a registered nurse and mother-of-five, was particularly angry about one suggestion put forward by Dr De Souza. "A concern the authorities have expressed is that parents may not bring their children for the rubella and mumps vaccines after this weekend's measles clinic. This is grossly unfair to parents, who are not morons and will do the best by their children.
"We have been impressed with just how well-informed parents are before coming here. They have the confidence to make an informed decision in their child's best interests. We now look forward to returning in March when we will administer the rubella vaccine to those children who received the measles vaccine this weekend. There were also some children who weren't well enough to receive the first course this weekend and they are also due back in March."
Michael and Michelle Carey drove 100km from Mitchelstown, Co Cork, with their two-year-old daughter, Rebecca.
"We are pretty convinced that there is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in children. Because of this, we are much happier to go this route."